EMBARGOED UNTIL: 9 A.M. EDT, SEPTEMBER 24, 1998 (THURSDAY) Public Information Office CB98-178 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov Income and Poverty Information Staff 301-457-3242 Poverty Level of Hispanic Population Drops, Income Improves, Census Bureau Reports The number of the nation's Hispanic population who were poor declined significantly between 1996 and 1997, while their real median household income increased significantly, according to reports released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. (The reports, Money Income in the United States: 1997 and Poverty in the United States: 1997, are available on our web site at<http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income97.html>for income, and<http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/povty97.html>for poverty.) "The decline in poverty rates of Hispanics accounted for a significant share of the decrease in the overall poverty rate between 1996 and 1997," said Daniel Weinberg, chief of the Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division. Overall, the number of poor and the poverty rate for people of Hispanic origin, who may be of any race, dropped to 8.3 million and 27.1 percent, respectively, in 1997, down from 8.7 million and 29.4 percent in 1996. Hispanic families also experienced a decline in their poverty rate in 1997, from 26.4 percent in 1996 to 24.7 percent. The poverty threshold for a family of four was $16,400 in annual income in 1997 and $12,802 for a family of three. Hispanic households had a 4.5 percent increase in their real, or inflation-adjusted, median income between 1996 and 1997, from $25,477 to $26,628. Meanwhile, the real per capita income of Hispanics rose during the same period, from $10,279 to $10,773 an increase of 4.8 percent. Other highlights: Poverty - In 1997, the number and poverty rate of the Hispanic population was 8.3 million and 27.1 percent. For Whites, it was 24.4 million and 11.0 percent; for African Americans, it was 9.1 million and 26.5 percent; and for Asians and Pacific Islanders, it was 1.5 million and 14.0 percent. The poverty rate for Hispanics did not differ statistically from the rate for African Americans. - For Hispanic families, the number and percentage who were poor in 1997 was 1.7 million and 24.7 percent; for White families, 5.0 million and 8.4 percent; for African American families, 2.0 million and 23.6 percent; and for Asian and Pacific Islander families, 244,000 and 10.2 percent. The poverty rate for Hispanics did not differ statistically from the rate for African Americans. Income - In 1997, the median income of households maintained by a person of Hispanic origin, who may be of any race, was $26,628; White households, $38,972; African Americans, $25,050; and Asians and Pacific Islanders, $45,249. - Between 1996 and 1997, real per capita income of Hispanics and Whites increased to $10,773 and $20,425, respectively. African Americans had a per capita income of $12,351 in 1997, while that of Asians and Pacific Islanders was $18,226. The latter two were statistically unchanged from the previous year. The data are from the March 1998 Current Population Survey. As in all surveys, the data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. The Hispanic origin population consists of many distinct groups which differ in socioeconomic characteristics, culture and recency of immigration. Since there are differences among the individual groups, data users should exercise caution when interpreting aggregate data for this population group.-X-The Census Bureau pre-eminent collector and provider of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. In more than 100 surveys annually and 20 censuses a decade, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America's people, businesses, industries and institutions.
