April 15th, 2007
Omaha in Black and White: Poverty amid prosperty
HENRY J. CORDES, CINDY GONZALEZ and ERIN GRACEOmaha is known far and wide as the home of Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest men on the planet.
Kids like Kavon Jones, 13, a student at McMillan Magnet Center, live in a city in which nearly six of 10 black children are in poverty.
It boasts the headquarters of five Fortune 500 companies, the most for any U.S. city its size.But the Omaha metropolitan area also has another economic distinction: home to one of the poorest black communities you’ll find anywhere in America.
Among America’s 100 largest metro areas, Omaha has the third-highest black poverty rate.
Worse yet, its percentage of black children in poverty ranks No. 1 in the nation, with nearly six of 10 black kids living below the poverty line.
Amber Franklin, a sophomore at Omaha Benson High, dreams of a path different from the one her struggling mother took. Amber faces tough odds in avoiding the spiral of school failure, poor choices and unemployment.
And this is in a metro area that is otherwise prospering, with a gleaming new convention center and arena, new high-rises filling out the skyline and national retail and restaurant chains by the dozens coming in to set up shop.
In fact, only one other U.S. metro area, Minneapolis, has a wider economic disparity between how black and white residents fare.
Well, we can all be very proud. I am sure that this has no impact on our ability as a community to attract and retain a talented workforce…right? Might be time to check priorities. Might be time for a gut check. More of the data:
Published Sunday | April 15, 2007
Highest black poverty rates
(100 largest U.S. metro areas, 2005)
1. Syracuse, N.Y……………………..42.5%
2. Toledo, Ohio…………………….40.6%
3. Omaha…………………….40.4%
4. Knoxville, Tenn……………………..40.2%
5. Madison, Wis……………………..36.9%
U.S. average…………………….25.6%
Others
7. Milwaukee…………………….34.4%
9. Minneapolis-St. Paul…………………….33.8%
10. Oklahoma City…………………….33.3%
19. New Orleans…………………….30.3%
32. Kansas City…………………….27.8%
33. Detroit…………………….27.7%
34. Chicago…………………….27.1%
36. St. Louis…………………….26.2%
70. Denver…………………….20.3%
80. New York…………………….19.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, UNO Center for Public Affairs Research_________________________________________________________
Published Sunday | April 15, 2007
Child poverty rates for blacks
Among 100 largest U.S. metro areas, 2005
Rank – City – Percent
1 Omaha 59.4
2 Knoxville, Tenn. 58.7
3 Toledo, Ohio 57.2
4 Syracuse, N.Y. 55.4
5 Oklahoma City 49.7
6 Dayton, Ohio 49.6
7 Grand Rapids, Mich 49.6
8 Youngstown, Ohio 49.4
9 Milwaukee 48.7
10 Baton Rouge, La. 46.6
11 Providence, R.I. 46.2
12 New Orleans 44.7
13 Springfield, Mass. 44.1
14 Augusta, Ga 43.9
15 Minneapolis-St. Paul 43.8
16 Albany, N.Y. 43.6
17 Chattanooga, Tenn. 43.5
18 Tulsa, Okla 43.3
19 Cleveland 43.2
20 Madison, Wis. 42.3
21 Kansas City 42.3
22 Columbus, Ohio 41.9
23 Birmingham, Ala. 41.4
24 Pittsburgh 41.1
25 Detroit 40.7
26 Rochester, NY NY 40.2
27 Little Rock, Ark 40.1
28 Greenville, S.C. 39.6
29 St. Louis 39.6
30 New Haven, Conn. 39.4
31 Memphis, Tenn. 39.2
32 Jackson, Miss. 39.0
33 Cincinnati 38.9
34 Akron, Ohio 38.9
35 Buffalo, N.Y. 38.6
36 Lakeland, Fla. 38.5
37 Wichita, Kan. 38.4
38 Bakersfield, Calif. 38.0
39 Chicago 37.6
40 Indianapolis 37.2