Housing Poverty in Rural Areas Greater for Racial and Ethnic Minorities

Despite the higher prevalence of housing poverty in central cities, 4 million households in nonmetro areas were classified as housing poor based on a new multidimensional measure of housing disadvantage. Nonmetro Hispanic, Black, and other minority households were more likely than their White counterparts to be in housing poverty. But the dimensions of poverty operate differently for these groups. Housing quality was a more important factor in determining housing poverty for minority households, while economic need was the most important indicator for White households. Crowding was a particularly salient issue for nonmetro Hispanics