Laredo, East LA and Hialeah, among the Latino-heavy cities with the highest poverty rates in the U.S.

Homeless person's possessions in a cart (Credit: Creative Commons)

A new study of the ten census-designated cities with 100,000 or more residents and high Latino populations showed their poverty rates are 50% higher than the national average.

The ten communities, which include Laredo, Texas; East LA and Hialeah, Florida had an average poverty rate of 18.7%, considerably higher than the national poverty rate of 12.5% and the overall Latino poverty rate of 17.2%, the report by Axios shows.

These rates are attributed to factors such as high living costs, lack of healthcare access, and limited resources, said Diana Caba, vice president for community and economic development at the Hispanic Federation. "Without access or that path to economic mobility, (we're) just going to perpetuate that cycle," Caba explained.

East Los Angeles, an unincorporated community, and Laredo, Texas, both with 96% Latino residents, reported poverty rates of 17.2% and 21%, respectively. Hialeah, Florida, where 95% of residents are Latino, had a poverty rate of 17.8%. In South Texas, Brownsville and Edinburg, with Latino populations of 95% and 87% respectively, reported poverty rates of 26.1% and 25.7%.

Axios report on poverty levels in cities with most Latinos (Credit: Via Axios)

Only one community in the top ten most Latino cities, Santa Ana, California, had a poverty rate below the national average of 11.5%. Santa Ana has seen an increase in college-educated Latinos and new Hispanic-owned businesses, contributing to its lower poverty rate.

For historical context, the percentage of Latinos in poverty was around 22% in the 1970s, rose to 29% in the 1980s, and peaked at 30.7% in 1994 following the early 1990s recession and the Mexican peso devaluation crisis.

A recent survey by BSP Research revealed over half of Latinos in Arizona, Texas and California say they are worried about not being able to pay next month's rent or mortgage. The survey also found that a top economic concern for Latinos is lack of income, followed by rising housing costs. About 25% of respondents cited the inflated cost of housing as their top concern.

Medical care is another top issue. About 47 percent of respondents have medical debt, and 11% owe more than $2,500 in medical debt.

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