A first look at U.S. children in persistently poor neighborhoods

Mark S. Mather, Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Nadwa Mossaad, Population Reference Bureau (PRB)

The goal of this paper is to improve our understanding of the 8.3 million U.S. children living in persistently poor neighborhoods—those with poverty rates of at least 20 percent in 1980, 1990, and 2000—to investigate the unique social, economic, and demographic characteristics of these communities, and to provide a first look at how these neighborhoods have changed since 2000. Data are drawn from the decennial census and the 2006 American Community Survey.