Persistence of Poverty among Young Adults: A Comparison of Whites, Blacks and Latinos

Utilizing data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study examines one facet of persistent poverty: the intergenerational transmission of poverty. The primary goals of the research are (a) to examine racial, ethnic, and gender differences in patterns of intergenerational transmission of poverty; and (b) to identify predictors of poverty status in young adulthood. The results suggest that women regardless of their race, ethnicity, or adolescent poverty status and Black men who grew up in poverty were both more likely to be poor as young adults than White men. Logistic regression analyses reveal that in addition to education and work experience, metropolitan unemployment rates were also significant predictors of poverty status for both men and women. After controlling for differences in human capital and labor market conditions, family background variables were insignificant for Blacks and Latinos but significant predictors of poverty for White men and women. The likelihood of falling into poverty as a young adult was 89 percent higher for White men and 47 percent higher for White women who grew up in poor families.