HUD Racially and Ethnically-Concentrated Areas of Poverty
| Categories | Demographics & Population, Housing & Real Estate, Income, Poverty & Wealth |
|---|---|
| Detail | Racially and ethnically-concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAP) |
| Download Available | yes |
| Geographies | Census Tract |
| Last Updated on PolicyMap | December 2025 |
| Public Edition or Subscriber-only | Public Edition |
| Source | US Department of Housing and Urban Development |
| Years Available | 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 |
Description:
This dataset, provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), identifies census tracts that meet or exceed HUD’s established thresholds for racially and ethnically-concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAPs). These tracts have a non-white population that is greater than or equal to 50% and meet either of the following poverty criteria: the poverty rate of a tract is 1) higher than 40% or 2) more than three times the average poverty rate of tracts in the metropolitan area. The racial/ethnic threshold is lowered to 20% for tracts that are located outside of metropolitan/micropolitan areas. HUD used component data from the decennial census and the American Community Survey to determine which geographies met these criteria in 2010 and 2020, and component data from Brown Longitudinal Tract Database, based on decennial census data from 2000 and 1990, to determine R/ECAP geographies for 1990 and 2000. Data from 1990-2010 are at the 2010 census tract boundaries. Data from 2020 is at the 2020 census tract boundaries.