Racial disparities in Rochester among the worst in the country, analysis finds

It has been previously reported that Rochester enjoys the lowest poverty rate in America — but according to surveys conducted by the Census Bureau, the benefits do not reach every corner of the city. In fact, the Star Tribune reports Rochester has the highest disparity between black and white poverty rates among metro areas of its size in the country.

(Earlier in the week, the Star Tribune article said Rochester had the highest overall black poverty rate in the country among mid-sized metros — an unsubstantiated claim that has since been corrected by the publication.)

The Star Tribune article pulls data from the American Community Survey, a service conducted by the Census Bureau that provides data on topics not addressed by the once-a-decade Census, including education, employment, transportation status, among other topics. Poverty rates for all metropolitan areas are also included.

A closer look at the numbers

According to our analysis of 2018 ACS data — the most recent year with data available — Rochester’s overall poverty rate is estimated to be 6.6 percent. The black poverty rate is estimated to be 25.3 percent, while the white poverty rate is estimated to be 5 percent. This would put the disparity at 20.3 percent.

Rochester’s estimated 2018 poverty disparity is considerably larger than the national disparity of 11.6 percent (a black poverty rate of 22.5 percent compared to a white poverty rate of 10.9 percent), but just half a percentage point above the disparity cited across the state. Minnesota’s estimated rate of disparity is 19.8 percentage points (black 27.2, white 7.4), one of many Midwestern states with a higher disparity than the national average.

It is important to note that Rochester’s estimated black poverty rate could vary to a high degree. For 2018, the ACS cites a margin of error of 15.9 for the black poverty rate in Rochester. Therefore, the actual rate could be as low as 9.4 percent — or as high as 41.2 percent. 

Recent data from the ACS skews much closer to the latter, with the survey’s five-year rolling averages giving Rochester a black poverty rate of 40.9 percent and a disparity of 34.1 percentage points. These findings resemble the Star Tribune’s reporting much more closely — a chart embedded in the article says Rochester’s gap is 35 percentage points.

For more data on Rochester’s poverty rates, plus the ability to explore data from all metro areas across the country, go to data.census.gov, search ‘poverty,’ and click on table 1701 — or follow this hyperlink.

Where do we go from here?

This conversation comes as we begin to solicit the thoughts of the people for a public forum on race and policing. We will accept thoughts on the issue of income inequality as well. To be included in our post, submit your thoughts (in less than 300 words) via email to sean@themedcitybeat.com.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.

Cover photo licensed via Getty