Hispanic-American Poverty

Abstract

Since 1970, the Hispanic-American population has grown rapidly and has become a progressively larger proportion of the overall American population. Over the same time period, the Hispanic share of total American poverty has grown at an even more rapid pace. Hispanic-Americans, however, are not a homogeneous cultural or economic segment of the population. Although Hispanics in general have experienced poverty rates which far exceed the national rates, there are large differences among various Hispanic ethnic groups. The purpose of this article is to examine the patterns of poverty within the Hispanic-American community.