PEERS IN POVERTY

Last Sunday’s Post-Standard carried the story of how our city [Syracuse, NY] leads the nation in the concentrations of African-Americans and Hispanics who live in poverty.

The report by the Century Foundation said that in Syracuse, the number of high-poverty tracts has more than doubled, rising from 12 to 30. It also charges that these numbers are “the inevitable and predictable consequences of deliberate policy choices.”

Syracuse is the leader in this national trend. Here are the top cities in concentration of racial poverty, according to the report:

BLACK HIGHEST CONCENTRATIONS OF POVERTY

• Syracuse: 65.2
• Detroit, Mich.: 57.6 
• Toledo, Ohio: 54.5 
• Rochester: 51.5 
• Fresno, Calif: 51.4 
• Buffalo-Niagara Falls: 46.4 
• Cleveland, Ohio: 45.5 
• Gary, Ind.: 45.2
• Milwaukee, Wis.: 44.8 
• Louisville, Ky.: 42.6

HISPANIC

• Syracuse: 62.2
• Philadelphia, Pa: 57.6 
• McAllen, Texas: 51.8 
• Detroit, Mich: 51.1
• Springfield, Mass: 49.3 
• Rochester: 45.7
• Milwaukee, Wis.: 43.2 
• Fresno, Calif.: 43.0 
• Buffalo-Niagara Falls: 41.6 
• Cleveland, Ohio: 36.9

http://www.syracuse.com/