A second policy issue is income disparities between whites, blacks, and Hispanics.
Blacks and Hispanics tend to earn less than whites, which makes homeownership
more difficult to achieve for members of racial and ethnic minorities. Homeownership
is a major policy goal in the United States. Income disparities among groups are
reflected in homeownership rates. People with low incomes are less likely to own
their own homes, and less able to keep their homes during economic downturns. This
income disparity is also reflected in poverty rates. While the poverty rate declined
among all racial and ethnic categories—with the steepest declines among African
Americans—racial minorities still have higher rates of poverty than do whites.