This indicator draws upon 1990 U.S. Census data and Statistics Canada data for 1991 and 1996 in reporting the distribution of regional poverty. Canada s low-income standards, however, differ from United States poverty thresholds and should not be directly compared. Although Canadian data on the racial distribution of poverty are not readily available, poverty in Western New York is clearly disproportionate by racial and ethnic group. Thus, although poverty is extremely disproportionate among Western New York minorities, it affects every racial and ethnic group in the region. A Closer Look Poverty is unevenly distributed across Western New York s urban and rural areas, and by age.
Recent studies suggest senior poverty is currently underestimated.
A look at Census 2000 data, when they become available, will be crucial in understanding this issue regionally. Additional information online at U. S. Census Bureau - Poverty Measurement . During the 1990s these threshholds have been under review by the National Research Council 's Committee on National Statistics. Proposed revisions are being considered and tested.