
Why? What? How?

What is poverty?

Findings

Major conclusions

How did we get here

What’s next

A Framework
 People and Data
 Poverty and the
Concentration of Poverty
 Assets and Deficits

Why? What? How?
 Why: To enhance community awareness and
understanding of poverty, particularly the concentration
of poverty.
 What: Analysis of poverty in the nine-county Greater
Rochester Area with special emphasis on the
concentration of the poor within the City of Rochester.
 How: Staff research of U.S. Census data, ACT Rochester
data and studies by other reputable organizations;
national comparisons and benchmark comparisons for
comparably sized communities.

What is Poverty?
Can you picture it?

What is Poverty?
Definition: The Federal Poverty Level
The price of food in 1963, multiplied
by 3, and adjusted since 1963 based
on the increase in the CPI.

Poverty and Self-Sufficiency
Family Size Poverty Level
1
2
3
4
5
$11,490
15,510
19,530
23,550
27,570
Self-Sufficiency Standard
$20,042
38,773
47,391
58,284
58,598

US Census Bureau – American Community
Survey
 One-year survey
most up-to-date
 Three-year survey
 Five-year survey
most accurate

US Census Bureau – American Community
Survey
 For this report: Five-year survey (2007-11)
 Released since this report:
▪ Five-year survey (2008-12)
▪ One-year surveys (2012 and 2013)

Key Findings
 Rochester is the 5th
poorest city in the
U.S., among the top
75 metro areas.
 Rochester is the 2nd
poorest city of
comparable size.

Key Findings
Rochester has the 3rd
highest concentration
of extremely poor
neighborhoods, among
the 100 largest cities.

Key Findings
 Rochester City School District students are the
poorest of New York’s large urban districts.
 Rochester City School District students are the
poorest of all 430 Upstate NY districts.

Additional Findings:
 There are about 160,000 poor people in our
nine-county region.
 There are poor in every city, town, and village in
our region

Additional Findings:
 The rate poverty is much greater for some:
Group: Nine-County Region
Poverty Rate
for Group
Poverty Rate
for All
Children
19%
13%
Female-headed,
with a child under age 18
40%
13%
African Americans
34%
13%
Latinos
33%
13%

Additional Findings:
 The rate poverty is much greater for some:
Group: City of Rochester
Poverty Rate
for Group
Poverty Rate
for All
Children
46%
31%
Female-headed,
with a child under age 18
56%
31%
African Americans
37%
31%
Latinos
43%
31%

Major Conclusions
 The City of Rochester’s rate of poverty is
alarming, and it is growing.
 Our region is extraordinary in its
concentration of the poor.

Major Conclusions
 The incidence and concentration of
poverty have major impacts on the
communities where poor live.
 Rochester’s capacity to provide public
education and other services is in serious
jeopardy.
Rochester City Elementary Schools: Percentage of Students by Poverty Rate of School
School Poverty Rate:
90%+
55%
80%-89%
20%
70%-79%
22%
60%-69%
> 60%
3%
0%
0
0.2
0.4
Percent of Students
0.6

Major Conclusions
 Poverty is an impediment to regional
prosperity.

US Census Bureau – American Community
Survey
 For this report: Five-year survey (2007-11)
 Released since this report:
▪ Five-year survey (2008-12) - Poverty up .5%
▪ One-year surveys (2012 and 2013) – Childhood
poverty up 6 percentage points from ’12 to ’13

How did we get here?
 Racial segregation – still considerably
higher than other cities.
 Unregulated sprawl.
 Limited housing choices for the poor.
 Failure to Evolve.

Reaction and Follow Up:
 Excellent media coverage.
 Significant community interest:
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
1,000 hard copies distributed.
4,500 website hits in the first 24 hours.
Numerous media mentions.
Requests for presentations.
E-mails and phone messages, etc..

Reaction and Follow Up:
 Presentations made or scheduled:
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
Public follow-up session.
Several nonprofit organizations.
Higher education.
Mayor Warren’s Senior Management Team.
RBA – Executive Committee.
Faith groups.

Reaction and Follow Up:
 Community Response:
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
Report being used by Rochester Mayor Warren.
Report delivered to Washington.
Report to Albany.
Report cited in new financial aid to Rochester.
Leadership conversation being organized.

Where do we go from here?
 Expanding awareness.
 Achieving understanding.
 Taking actions.

How to reduce the concentration of
poverty:
 Help people out of poverty.
 Provide suburban housing for more of the poor.
 Attract more non-poor people to the city.

Some Numbers:
22.3 %
18,300
23,500
83,100

Some Different Numbers:
22.3 %
7,500
7,500
23,300

Even More Numbers “the 10-10-10 plan”:
21.6 %
10,000
10,000
10,000

Toward a Theory of Change
Developing
Strategies
Awareness
Understanding
Building Support
Consensus on
the Problem
Launch
(Not the solution)
Setting Goals
Considering
Alternatives
Assess, Correct,
Persevere
Ed’s Rule of Thirds
Supporters
The Middle
Opponents
Available at: racf.org/Reports and ACTRochester.org