The amount of research examining poverty among Latinos has increased over the last decade. However, this body of literature is primarily based upon individual-level analysis, particular regions of the country, and metropolitan areas. This research examines poverty in Midwest Latino counties (defined as those containing at least 500 Latinos) in 1989 as well as changes in poverty between 1979 and 1989. The analysis is guided theoretically by an integrated model which identifies four groups of factors that are related to the percent of Latino families having incomes below the poverty level. The four groups of factors include variables reflecting the demographic structure of Latinos, Latino human capital, Latino employment conditions, and the geographic and industrial settings where Latinos reside. Data from the 1980 and 1990 Census Bureau's Summary Tape Files 3C (STF3C) are used in the analysis. Results from ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression provide support for the usefulness of the integrated model, especially in the cross-sectional analysis based on the 1990 census.

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