Hispanic children's poverty is most pronounced in the border counties, where over 45 percent of the children are in poverty. Two-thirds of the children in Starr county, one of the poorest counties in the nation according to the 1990 census, are poor. Community advocates and activists repeatedly returned to issues of poverty when discussing the conditions faced by Hispanic children. The poverty has many ramifications. When families are struggling just to stay out of destitution, they have few resources to devote to their children's education and supervision, to health care and preventive practices, and to training and development that will provide parents access to better paid and more stable jobs.
Poverty has impacts on children that carry far into their futures.
Poverty in the border counties is compounded by political factors, according to community residents and agency personnel alike. They explain that the relative isolation of the border region from urban centers, and from the state political apparatus, make it hard for local leaders to be active and influential on behalf of their communities. There is a lack of comprehensive health care, transportation, clinics, and adult basic education. All of this translates to finances. Indeed Hispanic residents in Texas, particularly those in the border counties, show significant differences from other Texas residents in many of these areas.