21.5% of Latina women in the United States lived in poverty in 2023, one of the highest figures among the most represented groups in these indices, revealed a report from the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). ), which also reported an uptick in racial disparities in average household income.
Poverty rates for Hispanic women are closely followed by other communities such as black women (18.9%) and Asian women (13.6%). This compared to 9.6% among non-Hispanic white women and 8.8% of non-Hispanic white men, according to NWLC research, submitted to the Voice of America.
This gap is also seen among women who emigrated from other countries. In 2023, more than one in seven women born outside the US (14.7%) lived in poverty, compared to 10.2% among US citizens.
“The American immigration system has long been broken and has not provided adequate support to immigrants, particularly women, who form the backbone of our economic infrastructure,” he insists. the NWLC textwhich although recognizes that poverty among the migrant community in the US has decreased, there is still much to do.
Another separate study, published in August, showed that Latinas “are engines of economic vitality in the US”something reflected in the $1.3 billion they contributed to the country’s gross domestic product in 2021. This was a nearly triple increase compared to non-Hispanic groups during that same period.
End of federal aid and increase in poverty
These increases were evident after the end in 2021 of federal support from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) approved during the COVID-19 epidemic, according to the NWLC analysis of data from the US Census Bureau, based on the Official Measurement of Poverty and the Supplementary Poverty Measurement, which extends the first meter by adding other elements to take into account such as location and other costs of living.
“Between 2021 and 2022, when pandemic-era assistance expired, poverty rates increased at a rate that represents the largest increase recorded in a single year in more than 50 years,” the report highlights.
Poverty among single mothers also increased in this period: from 11.9% in 2021 to 26.7% in 2022, an increase that continued in 2023, with 28.5%.
Another of the most revealing indicators was the more than double increase in child poverty rates. Registrations of 5.2% in 2021 rose to 12.4% in 2022, and to 13.8% the following year.
The NWLC analysis also showed how racial disparities became even more entrenched over the past three years. While median household income increased, non-Hispanic white households benefited the most, leaving black and Latino households behind.
According to Official Poverty Measurement (OPM) data in 2023 published by the US Congressional Research Service last November, the percentage of people in poverty in the country was reduced to 11.1% (about 36. 8 million people).
On the other hand, following the Supplementary Poverty Measurement (SPM in English), the general poverty rate and the number of people living below that threshold increased from 12.4% in 2022 (40.9 million), to 12.9% in 2023 (42.8 million) in 2023.
The increase in the poverty rate under the SPM reflects increases in the cost of housing, reductions in the amounts received between certain non-cash benefits and refundable tax credits, and an increase in work-related expenses, which partially offset income obtained as more people worked.
In the US, the dollar amounts of the poverty line vary depending on the size of the family and the ages of the members. As a rough guide, the poverty line in 2023 can be considered as an annual income of $31,200 for a family of four; $24,230 for a family of three, $19,680 for a family of two or $15,480 for a single person.
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