Tuesday, October 19, 2004

US Wealth Gap Grows for Ethnic Minorities

An analysis of US census data by the Pew Hispanic Center revealed that the 2001 economic downturn deepened a legacy of economic discrimination, with Hispanics and African-Americans harder hit and taking longer to recover.
By 2002, that produced a further deterioration of the economic divide, where minorities own only a fraction of the wealth enjoyed by whites. The median net worth of white households was $88,651, or 11 times greater than Hispanic families ($7,932) and 14 times greater than African-American families ($5,988.)
"We have always known about the wealth gap, but what is new and disturbing is that the gaps are increasing," said Roderick Harrison, a demographer at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. "What you are seeing here are the historic disadvantages of black and Hispanic populations from generations ago being carried over."

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