Thursday, July 16, 2009

Poverty in very wealthy Dallas, Texas region

Every year the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas conducts and publishes a very useful and enlightening "Community Needs Assessment" for its four-county service region (Dallas, Collin, Rockwall and Denton). What follows are some important and revealing "tidbits" that I've lifted out of one version of the report.

Consider. . .
  • Shortly after 2025, Hispanics will be the majority population group in the region.

  • By 2040 just under 70% of children under 5-years-old will be Hispanic.

  • Basically the same reality will be the case in every other age grouping until the 50-54-year-old group.

  • By 2040 the only majority white age group will be the 65+ crowd.

  • In Dallas County the population grew at less than 5% between 200-2007, while the numbers living in poverty grew by oer 30%.

  • In Collin County (Plano, Texas) the population grew by over 40%, but those living in poverty increased by 100%!

  • For the entire region the population grew by 16% while those living in poverty shot up 41%.

  • In 2007, 1 of 4 families (26%) with children under 18 residing in Dallas County live in poverty--higher than the state average of 1 in 5.

  • In Dallas County, 23.27% of whites, 23.32% of Hispanics, 24.01% of blacks and 10.83% of Asians live in poverty.

  • In 2007, 45% of renters in Dallas County were spending more than 30% of monthly income on housing, the recognized national benchmark of the expected cost of an affordable home.

  • In 2006, the annual household income required to afford a 2-bedroom apartment at fair market rent (FMR) for our region was $31,920--or the income from 3 minimum wage jobs.

  • In Dallas County from 2005-2007, 33.9% of the working families are classified as "lower-income" and 40% lived at or below 200% of poverty.

The Dallas and Plano and Frisco that most people know is very different compared to the same communities that thousands of our neighbors experience every day.

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4 comments:

Dean Smith said...

Given those population growth statistics, doesn't it make economic sense to help those that live in poverty become financially successful? The tide that lifts their ships will lift ours as well. Ignoring their struggle is cutting off our collective nose to spite our face. It's a failed strategy, given those future realities.

Anonymous said...

A lot of people in the Dallas area should pay attention to that one statistic, THAT POVERTY DOESN'T AFFECT ONE RACE OF PEOPLE (or area of the city/county) DISPROPORTIONATELY OVER ANOTHER. Poverty, unfortunately, strikes all people in all places, almost exactly equally...

tom said...

do you accept donations of National Geographic magazines? I have about 20 years worth
Thank you
Tom texasfusion@gmail.com

Larry James said...

Tom, yes! We do, by all means! You may drop them off at our thrift store located at the corner of Live Oak and Washington just north of Downtown. And, we will be mighty grateful! Thanks for your support.