Let's Break It Down
People of color earn far less than the median income.
Median earnings for individuals 16 and older living in the metro are $33,197. On average people who are white earn $35,474, people who are black earn $22,850, and people who are Hispanic and Latino earn $23,765. earnings for individuals 16 and older living in the metro are $31,843. On average people who are White earn $33,595, people who are Black earn $21,941, and people who are Hispanic and Latino earn $22,340.
Locally four in 10 Latinos who work full-time earn less than 2x the poverty level. Three in 10 Blacks who work full-time also experience this economic insecurity, compared to only 1 in 10 white workers.
In addition, our wages are not keeping pace with national averages. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, our mean hourly wage is 7% lower than the national hourly wage. Not only is this unaccounted for in a cost-of-living adjustment—our cost of living is 6% lower than the national average— but we are also seeing even wider wage gaps in particular jobs. In nine of the largest ten metro-area professions, wages are significantly lower than the national wages for that profession.