Hispanic Poverty: A County Contrast

Abstract

This study examines Hispanic ethnic poverty rates at the county level. The specific ethnic groups examined are Cubans, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans as well as Other Hispanics and the counties include the Bronx, Los Angeles and Miami-Dade. The primary goal is to separate high Hispanic poverty into an ethnicity factor and a geographic/economic factor. The evidence is clear. Although ethnicity has some influence on the group specific poverty rates of Hispanic-Americans, it is overshadowed by local economies. Location is far more influential than cultural lineage in affecting group poverty rates.