Affordable Housing and White Poverty Concentration

Abstract

During the 1980s poverty levels among non-Hispanic whites have increased at the same time that the supply of affordable housing has decreased on a national level. The limited amount of affordable housing is theorized to lead to the increased exposure of poor whites to poverty in the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. This research examines the phenomenon of poverty concentration experienced by poor whites in selected US metropolitan areas between 1980 and 1990. A concentration index was used to identify the changes in this phenomenon in addition to a measure of housing affordability specifically calculated for poor non-Hispanic whites. Social and economic variables from the U.S. Census were also used in a series of regression analyses to obtain an understanding of the variables that were associated with increases and decreases in exposure to poverty among poor white Americans.