Housing
The U.S. Cities Where the Poor Are Most Segregated From Everyone Else
In more affluent metros, higher housing prices can lead to higher concentrations of poverty.
This is the second post in a five-part series on economic segregation in U.S. metros.
Poverty in America is an enormous problem. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15 percent of Americans, or 46.5 million people, lived below the poverty line in 2012. And the poor are increasingly isolated across America. As Sean Reardon and Kendra Bischoff have documented, between 1970 and 2009 the proportion of poor families living in poor neighborhoods more than doubled, from 8 to 18 percent. And the trend shows no signs of abating.