Understanding Poverty
as a System
Plain-language articles educating the general public about the systems, policies, and history that create and sustain poverty.
Free tool connecting people with shelters, food, healthcare & more
Poverty is frequently framed as an individual failure rather than a systemic outcome. This framing obscures the roles of policy, labor markets, housing systems, education, and historical inequities. We're here to change that understanding.
Explore Topics
Dive into the interconnected systems that shape economic outcomes.
Housing & Poverty
How housing costs, policies, and market dynamics drive poverty and instability.
Learn moreWages & Work
The gap between wages and living costs, and how labor markets perpetuate poverty.
Learn moreHealthcare & Risk
The bidirectional relationship between health outcomes and economic hardship.
Learn moreEducation & Opportunity
How educational access and quality shape long-term economic mobility.
Learn moreInterlocking Systems
How housing, wages, healthcare, and education create reinforcing cycles of poverty.
Learn moreThese are just 5 of our 20 research topics.
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Greater Houston by the Numbers
Understanding poverty in one of America's most economically diverse regions.
Sources
- Poverty data: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1701 — Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metro Area
- Cost-burdened renters: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table B25070 — Renters paying 30%+ of income on housing, Houston city proper (place FIPS 4835000)
- Living wage: MIT Living Wage Calculator combined with ACS Table B20001 earnings data
- Health insurance: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S2701 — 22.7% uninsured