← Back to Concept Indexincome-disparity
The comparison between average welfare family incomes and the significantly higher estimated costs for a moderate living standard in urban settings.
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2 chapters across 1 book
Chapter 2 / Patterns o£ Disorder* INTRODUCTION The President asked the… (pages 216–221)The chapter provides a comprehensive statistical overview of federal funding and social conditions in urban centers like Detroit, Newark, and New Haven during the 1960s, focusing on education, housing, and poverty. It highlights significant disparities in educational resources and program participation, widespread substandard and overcrowded housing, and the large proportion of low-income families whose welfare support falls far short of the cost of a moderate living standard. The data underscores the scale of urban disadvantage and the federal government's multifaceted efforts through education, housing, and community action programs to address these systemic inequalities.
Chapter 7 / Unemployment, Family Structure, and Social Disorganization RECENT ECONOMIC TRENDS The Negro population in our country is as diverse in income, occupation, family composition, and other variables as the white community. Nevertheless, for purposes of analysis, three major Negro economic groups can be identified. The first and smallest group consists of middle and upper- income individuals and households whose educational, occu- pational, and cultural characteristics are similar to those of middle and upper-income white groups. The second and largest group contains Negroes whose in- comes are above the "poverty level" but who have not attained the educational, occupational, or income status typical of "middle-class" Americans. , The third group has very low educational, occupational, and income attainments and lives below the "poverty level." i A recent compilation of data on American Negroes by the Departments of Labor and Commerce shows that although incomes of both Negroes and whites have been rising rapidly, • Negro incomes still remain far below those of whites. Negro median family income was only 58 percent of the white median in 1966. • Negro family income is not keeping pace with white family income growth. In constant 1965 dollars, median nonwhite in- come in 1947 was $2174 lower than median white income. By 1966, the gap had grown to $3036. • The Negro upper-income group is expanding rapidly and achiev- ing sizeable income gains. In 1966, 28 percent of all Negro families received incomes of $7000 or more, compared with 55 percent of white families. This was 1.6 times the proportion of Negroes receiving comparable incomes in 1960, and 4 times greater than the proportion receiving such incomes in 1947. Moreover, the proportion of Negroes employed in high-skill, high-status, and well-paying jobs rose faster than comparable proportions among whites from 1960 to 1966. • As Negro incomes have risen, the size of the lowest-income group has grown smaller, and the middle and upper groups have grown larger — both relatively and absolutely. 251The chapter examines the economic disparities faced by the Negro population in the United States, highlighting persistent income gaps, high unemployment, and underemployment concentrated in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. It emphasizes that occupational upgrading offers greater income gains than merely reducing unemployment and details the social consequences of chronic unemployment, including family disintegration, increased female-headed households, and the emergence of a 'culture of poverty' marked by social disorganization. The analysis underscores the systemic challenges in achieving economic equity and social stability within these communities.