Census Reveals A Steep Decline In Concentrated Poverty

"The population of Americans living in high-poverty neighborhoods declined by a dramatic 24 percent, or 2.5 million people, in the 1990s, according to a new study released today by the Brookings Institution. A companion study, released today by the Urban Institute, also finds a deep drop in concentrated poverty and notes improving indicators of well-being for residents in high-poverty neighborhoods.The studies, which draw on new data from Census 2000, show a striking reversal of two decades of soaring increases in concentrated poverty. Even more encouraging, the two reports confirm that the decline in concentrated poverty in the 1990s occurred across almost the entire racial and ethnic spectrum and in nearly every urban area of the country."