Disparities in the District of Columbia: Poverty Is Major Cause|
November 2nd, 2006 | By Stacey Rolland PDF of this Report
(15pp.) Two Measures of Poverty Poverty can have effects in two
ways – family poverty and neighborhood poverty: Family poverty
is when a family or individual has income below the federal
poverty threshold. It shapes such factors as nutrition, job
stability and adequate housing. Neighborhood poverty is the
share of families and individuals in a neighborhood living in
poverty. High neighborhood poverty affects the quality of
schools and other social institutions, safety, and peer
influence. Poverty remains persistently high in the District of
Columbia, despite a strong economic rebound in recent years.
DC’s poverty rate — 19 percent in 2004-2005 — is higher than the
national poverty rate of 13 percent and even higher than the
poverty rate in most major cities. Census data show that poverty
in DC has increased in recent years — from 17 percent to 19
percent — as 10,000 more residents fell be