Poverty falls among Oregon Latinos but disparities linger
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The share of Oregon's Hispanic residents living in poverty has almost halved since 2005 but gains have recently slowed, per the latest census data.
Details: Almost 15% of Hispanic residents lived in poverty in 2022, compared to 12% of Oregon residents overall.
- In 2005, the difference was much wider — 27% of Hispanic residents in Oregon lived in poverty compared to 14% of Oregonians overall.
Why it matters: Latinos comprise 14% of Oregon's population — and 19% nationally — and are set to make up a plurality of the country by midcentury.
Zoom in: Oregon's Latino population overall grew 30% in the last decade, with birth rates and migration from other states contributing more than immigration from other countries.
- There's also been a steady rise in Hispanic or Latino homebuyers and employment over roughly the same time period, although employment dipped in recent years.
Yes but: The population isn't spread evenly around the state. Marion — home to Salem — and Umatilla, Morrow and Hood River counties have the highest percentage of Latino population.
- The population skews younger than Oregonians overall, with about 23% under 18.
Of note: Nearly 19% of undergraduates at Portland State University are Latinx, the university says, and PSU started offering a major in Chicano/Latino studies this fall.
Zoom out: As in Oregon, the percentage of Latinos living in poverty across the U.S. has dropped significantly in the last decade but is well above the national average for all groups.
- Nationally, 16.8% of Latinos — 10 million — were living in poverty in 2022.
- That's compared to the nation's overall poverty rate of 11.5%.
Details: Wyoming had the lowest percentage of Latinos living in poverty (10.2%), likely because of the large number of well-paying oil and gas jobs there.
- Latinos in Alabama had the nation's highest poverty rate (27.6%), according to an Axios analysis of census data.
What they're saying: Addressing poverty is one of the most pressing issues facing Hispanics in the U.S., says José Jurado Vadillo, a research economist at the Seidman Institute, Arizona State University.
- Better access to credit and to quality education would help reduce Latino poverty, Vadillo adds.
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