How do race and Hispanic origin relate to poverty? Official data for specific groups
In 2024, the poverty rates among racial and ethnic groups in the
United States ranged from about 8 percent to about 18 percent.
The poverty rates for racial and ethnic subgroups were:
11.5% for White (any race)
7.6% for White (not Hispanic)
18.4% for Black
7.5% for Asian
15.0% for Hispanic (of any race)
Another way to think about the relationship between poverty and
race or ethnicity is to consider how the racial and ethnic
distribution of people in poverty compares to that of the total
population.
Comparing populations in poverty, in 2024 Black and Hispanic
individuals comprised a greater share of the population in
poverty than their share of the general population. However, the
number of White individuals in poverty, an estimated 14.6 million
non-Hispanic White people, is greater than the number of poor
people from all other racial or ethnic categories combined,
reflecting the size of the White population overall.
