Ryan Colameco
|
|
Lowell |
Sandwich |
Massachusetts |
United States |
|
% of Population that is White |
52.6% |
97.3% |
76.8% |
64.1% |
|
% of Population that is Asian |
22.1% |
0.7% |
5.3% |
4.7% |
|
% of Population that is Hispanic or Latino |
15.9% |
1.1% |
9.3% |
16.1% |
|
% of Poverty |
17.2% |
1.7% |
10.8% |
14.4% |
|
% of Whites in Poverty |
13.4% |
1.7% |
8.4% |
11.7% |
|
% of Asians in Poverty |
15.0% |
– |
13.1% |
11.7% |
|
% of Latinos in Poverty |
34.1% |
– |
29.5% |
23.3% |
|
Mean Income of All Households |
$59,935 |
$88,541 |
$85,897 |
$70,883 |
Sources:
Census 2006-2010 American Community Survey: DP05 – Demographic and Housing Estimates
Census 2006-2010 American Community Survey: S1701 – Poverty Status in the Last 12 Months
I examined Census data from my assigned city, Lowell, Massachusetts, and my hometown, Sandwich, Massachusetts and found some very interesting patterns. I compared the poverty levels and mean household income of certain races in both towns to the state and country averages. I chose to examine Whites, Asians, and Latinos for this assignment. I am from Sandwich, which is very white upper-middle class, and since moving to Boston, I’ve noticed a huge Asian and Latino community. I was interested in how their poverty levels and income compared to the typical white man like me and the differences were surprising. I have never been to Lowell but based on the data I found, it seems very different from Sandwich and significantly more poor than the rest of the state.
In the US, the average household earns about $71,000 each year. Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states in the country and the average household income is higher at about $86,000 a year. In Lowell the average annual income is just $60,000 and 17.2% of the town is considered to be in poverty. This is quite different from Sandwich, where the mean household income is $88,000 and less than 2% are below the poverty line. Lowell citizens seem to be earning much less and have more documented people in poverty than the rest of the state.
I was very surprised to learn that only 9% of the population in Massachusetts is Hispanic or Latino and only 5% is Asian. Living in the city, I see people of different races every day but 77% of the state is White according to the Census. I suppose that most towns in Massachusetts are suburbs like my hometown and probably have enormous White populations. Lowell is more of a city and the Census data reflects what poverty levels look like in an urban setting. Almost 30% of the Latino population in Massachusetts is in poverty. I almost laughed when comparing that to Sandwich, where there are NO documented Asians or Latinos below the poverty line. In Lowell, however, Latinos are the smallest portion of the city but have the highest levels of poverty.
Nationally, there is no significant difference in the poverty levels of Whites and Asians. However, almost ¼ of all Latinos in the US are living in poverty. Since the number of Latinos living in the suburbs is so small, cities like Boston and Lowell are more accurate representations of their race. Latinos are not far behind Blacks with the achievement gap in school and work. They earn less and are more likely to be in poverty. To help these minorities, we should implement better English education for students who are foreign born. Community out-reach programs that offer health education and employment services are also very effective.
Lowell has shown several efforts to improve its poverty level. Looking at the town website (http://www.lowellma.gov/community) gave me the impression that Lowell has several outlets available to foreign born citizens, single mothers, disabled veterans, and those living in poverty. There are easy-to-navigate links for shelters, food pantries, and adult education centers as well as child care services and city beautification projects. Unless one doesn’t have access to the internet, it is not hard to find the programs. These services are designed to give citizens a sense of belonging and meaning within their community and that is what will improve the poverty level of all races.