Arizona 13th Worst State For Latinos

Rank of Worst States For Latinos

USAToday reporters Samuel Stebbins and Evan Comen write about the worst states for Latinos to live and work in. –

“The United States is the most popular destination for immigrants in the world. As such, the nation’s demographic composition is anything but static. Comprising over 17% of the total U.S. population, Hispanics and Latinos are one of the largest and fastest growing groups in the United States.

Immigration trends in the United States, which have often been shaped by federally imposed immigration restrictions and quotas, can be broken down into discrete periods. From about 1815 to 1865, the majority of immigrants to the United States hailed from countries in Northern and Western Europe. Between 1880 and 1920, the majority of new arrivals came from Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe. Today, the majority of immigrants to the United States come from Latin America.

As recently as 1980, the United States was home to some 14.8 million people of Hispanic or Latino descent. Today, more than 55.9 million Americans identify as Hispanic and Latino. Even as the Hispanic and Latino birth rate has slowed in recent years, the demographic accounted for 54% of the total U.S. population growth between 2000 and 2014 — according to the nonpartisan think tank, Pew Research Center.

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Every ethnic group faces challenges upon settling in the United States. Cultural differences, language barriers, and xenophobia can all hinder socioeconomic progress for the newest Americans — and Hispanics and Latinos are no exception.

Here are the worst 20. For the full list, click here.

20. Idaho

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 12.0% (16th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 47.7% (Hispanic), 71.3% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 4.7% (Hispanic), 3.8% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 1,026 (Hispanic), 656 (white)

Americans with a college education are far more likely to earn higher incomes than those with only a high school diploma. In Idaho, only 9.1% of adults of Hispanic and Latino descent have a bachelor’s degree or higher, the smallest share of any state in the country. Meanwhile, some 29.4% of white adults have earned a four-year college degree.

Despite the educational disparity, the income gap between white and Hispanic households in Idaho is not as dramatic as it is nationwide. The typical Hispanic household in the state earns $40,802 a year — about $13,000 less than the median income among white households. Nationwide, Hispanic households earn $46,882 a year — about $16,000 less than the typical white household.

19. California

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 38.6% (3rd highest)
• Homeownership rate: 42.1% (Hispanic), 62.4% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 6.6% (Hispanic), 5.4% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 757 (Hispanic), 453 (white)

Hispanic and Latino Americans comprise 38.6% of the population of California, the third largest share of any state after Texas and New Mexico. Hispanics in California still lag behind the white population in a number of important socioeconomic measures. Just 12.1% of Hispanic adults in the state have a bachelor’s degree, 31 percentage points below the 43.1% of white adults who do — the largest college attainment gap of any state. Similarly, the median household income for Hispanics of $52,403 a year is nearly $27,000 lower than the median income for white households of $79,353 — the sixth largest such disparity.

Despite the large disparities in education and income, California has smaller gaps in poverty and homeownership rates between the two demographics than a majority of states.

18. Oklahoma

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 9.8% (21st highest)
• Homeownership rate: 48.8% (Hispanic), 70.2% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 5.1% (Hispanic), 4.2% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 1,876 (Hispanic), 767 (white)

About 1 in 4 Oklahoma residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino live below the poverty line, more than double the poverty rate among the state’s white residents of 12.3%.

Not only are Hispanics far more likely to face serious financial hardship in Oklahoma than white residents, but also they are far more likely to be incarcerated. For every 100,000 Hispanics in the state, 1,876 are in jail or prison, a far greater share than the incarceration rate among the white population of 767 per 100,000 white residents.

17. Kansas

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 11.3% (17th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 52.8% (Hispanic), 70.0% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 6.5% (Hispanic), 3.7% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 873 (Hispanic), 418 (white)

While the unemployment rate for white workers in Kansas of 3.7% is lower than the national rate of 4.3% for the demographic, Hispanic workers are more likely to be unemployed in Kansas than in nearly any other state. The Hispanic unemployment rate in Kansas of 6.5% is far higher than the 5.8% national figure and 2.7 percentage points above the jobless rate for whites — the seventh largest such gap of any state.

Kansas also has one of the worst gaps in education between the two demographics of any state. Just 63.6% of Hispanic adults in Kansas have graduated from high school, over 30 percentage points less than the comparable attainment rate among white adults of 93.8% — the eighth largest disparity of any state.

16. Iowa

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 5.6% (18th lowest)
• Homeownership rate: 47.4% (Hispanic), 73.9% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 5.3% (Hispanic), 3.6% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 692 (Hispanic), 324 (white)

Iowa has one of the largest gaps in education of any state between Hispanic and white state residents. Just 60.9% of Hispanic adults have graduated from high school, compared to the 93.7% of whites who have — the third largest disparity of any state. In most other major socioeconomic measures, Iowa is fairly typical of the disparities that exist between the two demographics nationwide.

For example, Hispanics are overrepresented in the U.S. prison population. While Hispanic Americans comprise 17.3% of the U.S. population, they account for 19.0% of the nation’s prison population.

15. Washington

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 12.1% (15th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 43.4% (Hispanic), 67.2% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.6% (Hispanic), 5.3% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 601 (Hispanic), 392 (white)

The income gap between the typical white household and the typical Hispanic household nationwide is about $16,000. In Washington, the gap is far greater. The typical white household in the state earns about $70,500 a year, nearly $20,000 more than the typical Hispanic household.

Incomes tend to increase alongside educational attainment, and in Washington, white adults are far more likely to have at least a bachelor’s degree than Hispanic adults. Some 36.7% of white adults have a bachelor’s degree, 21.4 percentage points above the bachelor’s degree attainment rate among Hispanic adults.

14. Mississippi

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 2.9% (4th lowest)
• Homeownership rate: 48.1% (Hispanic), 76.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.8% (Hispanic), 4.5% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 4,869 (Hispanic), 600 (white)

Mississippi is one of the worst states in the country for Hispanics and Latinos. The state has the highest Hispanic incarceration rate in the country with 4,869 Hispanics in jail for every 100,000 residents — more than eight times the state’s white incarceration rate and well above the U.S. Hispanic incarceration rate of 831 per 100,000.

Hispanics in Mississippi are also far more likely than the state’s white residents to struggle to secure a job. The 7.8% unemployment rate among Hispanics is 3.3 percentage points higher than the 4.5% white unemployment rate — a difference more than double the 1.5 percentage point disparity nationwide.

13. Arizona

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 30.5% (4th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 52.1% (Hispanic), 70.0% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.1% (Hispanic), 5.1% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 1,453 (Hispanic), 633 (white)

An estimated 30.5% of Arizona residents are Hispanic, the fourth largest share after California, Texas, and New Mexico. Arizona lawmakers have garnered criticism for the passing of Arizona SB 1070, a law requiring aliens over the age of 18 to carry identification, which according to some critics encourages racial profiling. Arizona has one of the largest disparities in incarceration between whites and Hispanics of any state. Nationwide, Hispanic Americans comprise 17.3% of the population and 19.0% of the prison population. In Arizona, Hispanics comprise 30.5% of the state population and 41.0% of the prison population. The state also has larger disparities between the demographics in college attainment and unemployment than a majority of states.

12. Nebraska

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 10.2% (19th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 45.1% (Hispanic), 69.6% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 4.7% (Hispanic), 2.7% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 867 (Hispanic), 282 (white)

Only 55.6% of Hispanic adults in Nebraska have a high school diploma, the lowest high school attainment rate among Hispanics and Latinos of any state. Meanwhile, nearly 95% of white adults in the state have a high school diploma, nearly the largest share among states.

A high school education is utmost important for financial stability, and the difference in educational attainment rates appears to have a meaningful impact on poverty rates between whites and Hispanics in the state. Some 22.7% of Hispanics in Nebraska live below the poverty line compared to 8.5% of white residents.

11. South Dakota

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 3.4% (9th lowest)
• Homeownership rate: 36.2% (Hispanic), 71.4% (white)
• Unemployment rate: N/A, 1.5% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 1,727 (Hispanic), 508 (white)

Some 25.2% of the South Dakota Hispanic population lives in poverty, the 10th largest share of any state and far higher than the 8.4% white poverty rate. The gap of 16.8 percentage point in poverty rates between the two demographics is the fifth largest of any state and much larger than the 11.0 percentage point gap nationwide between the white and Hispanic poverty rates of 21.0% and 10.0%, respectively.
South Dakota also has one of the largest disparities in incarceration rates in the country. Hispanic residents in South Dakota are incarcerated at more than three times the rate of white residents — while 508 in every 100,000 white residents in the state are in prison, over 1,700 in every 100,000 Hispanic residents are incarcerated. Only three states have larger disparities.

10. Rhode Island

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 14.1% (12th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 25.9% (Hispanic), 65.4% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.7% (Hispanic), 5.1% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 697 (Hispanic), 210 (white)

While Rhode Island has one of the larger and more active Hispanic communities — the state has a long history of Latino social activists, and Providence elected its first Hispanic mayor in 2010 — it is still one of the worst states for Hispanics by a number of measures. Some 8.7% of Hispanic workers in Rhode Island are unemployed, the second largest share of any state and much higher than the 5.1% white unemployment rate. Only Pennsylvania has a larger disparity in unemployment between the two demographics.

Income inequality between white and Hispanic earners is worse in Rhode Island than in nearly any other state. The median household income for Hispanics in Rhode Island of $36,877 a year is $28,608 less than the median income for white households of $65,485 — the fifth largest gap of any state.

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9. New Jersey

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 19.3% (8th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 34.6% (Hispanic), 76.2% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 5.5% (Hispanic), 4.4% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 609 (Hispanic), 218 (white)

While New Jersey has one of the larger and more engaged Hispanic communities — the Hispanic population accounts for 19% of the population and 9% of the state legislature, some of the largest shares shares nationwide — it has larger disparities in income, college attainment, and homeownership than nearly any other state.

While the median household income for Hispanics in New Jersey of $52,599 a year is higher than the comparable $46,882 national figure, it is nearly $34,000 below the median among white households of $86,361 — a greater disparity than any state other than Connecticut and Massachusetts.

8. Colorado

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 21.1% (7th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 48.3% (Hispanic), 70.0% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 4.7% (Hispanic), 3.2% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 1,280 (Hispanic), 509 (white)

In Colorado,15.7% of Hispanic adults have a bachelor’s degree, compared to the 46.0% of white adults in the state who do — the largest disparity in college attainment of any state other than California.

Income inequality in Colorado among the worst in the country. While the median household income for Hispanics of $49,201 a year is higher than the comparable $46,882 national figure, it is more than $22,000 below the median among white households in the state of $71,406 — a greater disparity than the comparable national gap of $16,273.

7. North Dakota

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 3.1% (5th lowest)
• Homeownership rate: 41.1% (Hispanic), 66.9% (white)
• Unemployment rate: N/A, 2.6% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 1,032 (Hispanic), 245 (white)

Hispanics are vastly overrepresented in the North Dakota prison population. Adjusted for population, Hispanics in North Dakota are incarcerated at a rate of 787 more prisoners per 100,000 residents than whites in the state, more than twice the national disparity.

North Dakota has a greater degree of income inequality between whites and Hispanics than nearly any other state. The typical Hispanic household in North Dakota earns just $37,239 a year, the fourth least of any state and nearly $27,000 less than the median household income among whites in the state of $64,084. By comparison, the typical Hispanic household nationwide earns about $16,000 less than the typical white households.

6. New York

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 18.6% (9th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 23.9% (Hispanic), 66.5% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 6.5% (Hispanic), 4.2% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 607 (Hispanic), 219 (white)

Roughly 66% of Hispanics in New York state live in New York City. Many of the factors depressing homeownership rates for minorities nationwide — discriminatory lending practices, income inequality, and rising home prices — are amplified in New York City. New York is the only state in which fewer than 1 in 4 Hispanic heads of household own their homes. The Hispanic homeownership is just 23.9%, far less than the 66.5% white homeownership rate. The 42.6 percentage point gap in homeownership is the largest of any state other than Massachusetts.

5. Minnesota

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 5.1% (16th lowest)
• Homeownership rate: 45.0% (Hispanic), 76.1% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 5.3% (Hispanic), 3.0% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 959 (Hispanic), 216 (white)

Minnesota has one of the worst disparities in high school attainment between whites and Hispanics of any state. While the high school diploma attainment rate for white adults in Minnesota of 95.7% of is the fourth highest high school attainment rate of any state, the comparable attainment rate for Hispanics of 62.6% is the ninth lowest. The 33.1 percentage point gap is the largest of any state after only Nebraska.

4. Delaware

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 8.8% (25th lowest)
• Homeownership rate: 38.4% (Hispanic), 79.6% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 4.9% (Hispanic), 3.7% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: N/A, 414 (white)

Few states have a larger poverty gap between Hispanics and whites than Delaware. Some 24.5% of the Hispanic population in the state lives in poverty, 16.9 percentage points above the 7.6% white poverty rate — the fourth largest disparity of any state.

Income inequality, as well factors such as discriminatory lending practices and rising rents, can make it difficult for minorities to own homes. While 79.6% of white heads of household in Delaware own their homes — the largest share of any state — just 38.4% of Hispanic heads of household do — the eighth lowest Hispanic homeownership rate nationwide. The 41.2 percentage-point gap in homeownership is the fifth largest disparity of any state.

3. Connecticut

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 15.0% (11th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 32.6% (Hispanic), 74.8% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.6% (Hispanic), 4.7% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 1,195 (Hispanic), 241 (white)

While Connecticut is one of the most wealthy states, it has some of the worst income inequality in the country. The median income for white households of $84,030 a year is more than $37,000 greater than the median income for Hispanic households of $46,808 — the largest gap of any state other than neighboring Massachusetts.

Income inequality, as well as discriminatory lending practices and rising rents, can make it difficult for minorities to own homes. Just 32.6% of Hispanic heads of household in Connecticut own their homes, the fourth smallest share of any state and 42.3 percentage points below the white homeownership rate of 74.8%. The disparity in homeownership between whites and Hispanics is larger in Connecticut than in all but two states.

2. Pennsylvania

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 6.6% (21st lowest)
• Homeownership rate: 40.3% (Hispanic), 74.0% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 11.9% (Hispanic), 4.9% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 2,001 (Hispanic), 375 (white)

Pennsylvania has one of the largest disparities in incarceration between white and Hispanic residents of any state. In 2011, the city of Philadelphia — where approximately one quarter of the state’s Hispanic population lives — agreed as part of settlement of a class action lawsuit to reform its police department to reduce racial profiling. As of 2014, blacks and Hispanics were the subject of 80% of all police stops and 89% of all frisks in Philadelphia, despite accounting for just 51% of the city population. Across the state, Hispanics are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of whites — a larger disparity than any state other than Mississippi and West Virginia.

Pennsylvania also has some of the worst income inequality in the nation. Some 30.0% of the Hispanic population lives in poverty, the third largest share of any state and far more than the white poverty rate of 9.2%. The 20.8 percentage point gap in poverty is the largest of any state.

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1. Massachusetts

• Pct. residents Hispanic: 10.9% (18th highest)
• Homeownership rate: 26.0% (Hispanic), 69.3% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 6.5% (Hispanic), 3.5% (white)
• Incarcerated people per 100,000: 928 (Hispanic), 241 (white)

By a number of socioeconomic measures — poverty, income, educational attainment, unemployment, and incarceration — Massachusetts has the worst inequality between its white and Hispanic residents of any state. While the typical white household in Massachusetts earns $82,029 a year — the fifth most of any state — the median income for Hispanic households is just $39,742. The gap of more than $42,000 is the largest of any state and nearly three times the national gap.

Income inequality, as well as factors such as discriminatory lending and rising rents, can reduce the difficulty of owning home for minorities. Just 26.0% of Hispanic heads of household own their homes, far less than the 69.3% white homeownership. The 43.3 percentage-point gap in homeownership is the largest of any state.

More on the findings

Hispanic and Latino is a blanket designation that covers a wide range of Spanish-speaking and Latin American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Spain, to name a few.

In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Valerie Wilson, director of the Director, Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy for the non-partisan think tank Economic Policy Institute, explained that the composition of the Hispanic and Latino population in a given state varies widely based on the region of the country. “[In] the West, Southwest we’re talking largely about Mexican Americans. If we’re looking in Florida we’re largely going to be looking at Cuban Americans. If we’re in the Northeast, we’re looking at a larger percentage of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, other possible variations.”

In every state in the country, white residents are better off overall than Hispanic and Latino residents. In some states, however, the gaps in income, educational attainment, and incarceration are relatively small. This is often due in part to public policy designed to help integrate Spanish-speaking citizens.

In New Mexico, for example, 47.8% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, the largest share of any state. Due to the prevalence of Hispanics, the state government has enacted multiple protections for Spanish speakers. For one, all ballots and voting forms in the state are printed in Spanish and English, and the inability to speak English cannot restrict anyone from serving on a jury or holding elected office. Perhaps not surprisingly, New Mexico ranks better on this list than all but one other state. To be sure, four of the six states with the highest concentration of Hispanics and Latinos rank in the top half of this list.

While some states with large Hispanic populations, such as New Mexico, exhibit less social and economic inequality, a small Hispanic population by no means will have greater inequality. In fact, three of the states with the smallest Hispanic populations, Vermont, West Virginia, and Maine, rank among the least unequal in the country.
In many of the states with smaller gaps between white and Hispanic residents, socioeconomic outcomes for white residents are not especially good. In West Virginia, for example, 17.4% of white residents live in poverty, the highest white poverty rate in the country. Due in part to a high white poverty rate, the poverty gap between the state’s white and Hispanic residents is only 5.4 percentage points, nearly the smallest in the country. West Virginia is one of several states that ranks as better for Hispanics in which socioeconomic outcomes are poor across the board.

Methodology

To determine the worst states for Hispanic and Latino Americans, 24/7 Wall St. created an index of nine measures to assess gaps between the two demographic groups in each state. Creating the index in this way highlights disparities between racial groups rather than what may be a particularly poor socioeconomic climate in a state for both whites and Hispanics. For each measure, we constructed and normalized an index from the disparities between white and Hispanic Americans. For more on how this list was created, click here.“