Page 75 - Impact: Collected Essays on the Threat of Economic Inequality

Non-Hispanic White
Hispanic
Black
Lack High School Diploma (age 25 and older)
7.6%
39.5%
13.4%
Poverty Rate
9.4%
26.9%
24.7%
Median Household Income
$62,426
$38,600
$37,041
Median Per Capita Income
$35,598
$14,768
$19,133
Unemployment Rate
6.7%
9.2%
14.1%
Occupied Housing Units With No Available Vehicle
3.9%
7.0%
12.9%
II. Income
All of the general demographic evidence was part of the trial record . In addition, the trial record included specific evidence of income disparities, nearly all of which were undisputed . Although Anglos in Texas have an approximate poverty rate of 9 .4 percent, the Hispanic poverty rate, 26 .9 percent, is almost three times as high, and the Black poverty rate, 24 .7 percent, is similar to the Hispanic rate .9 Moreover, Black Texans have lower incomes and less wealth than Anglo Texans . In 2010, the median Anglo Texan earned $52,392 annually, approximately 68 percent more than the median Black, who earned only $31,104 .10 The median household income in Texas is approximately $62,426 for Anglo households but only $38,600 for Hispanic households and $37,041 for Black households .11 The median household wealth of the Anglo population in Texas is $97,800, more than seven times larger than the median household wealth of the Black population ($11,961) .12
The evidence also showed that most job opportunities available to poorer Texans pay relatively low hourly wages, and many are part-time, temporary, or seasonal .13 Many poorer Texans, therefore, must work multiple jobs to pay the rent and put food on the table . Other evidence reinforced the sizeable income and wealth gap between minorities and Anglos in Texas . One expert, Dr . Coleman Bazelon, found that one-quarter of all Black Texans live below the poverty line—a rate that is two-and-a-half times higher than the poverty rate for Anglos .14 Similarly, according to the same American Community Survey, the share of Hispanic and Black households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits (23 .2 percent and 22 .8 percent, respectively) is three times the share of Anglo households (6 .6 percent) .15
Undisputed expert testimony in the case found that the ease of obtaining a photo ID increases as income increases . For one thing, Texans who live in poverty often do not have reliable incomes,
9 Id. ¶ 5.
10 Id. ¶ 421.
11 Id. ¶ 478.
12 Id. ¶ 421.
13 Id. ¶ 369.
14 Id. ¶ 422 (citing ¶ 67 (Bazelon Second Am. Rep.); 11 (Bazelon Am. Trial Demonstratives); 119:21-120:2 (Bazelon Trial Tr.)).
15 Id. ¶ 477 (citing U.S. Request for Judicial Notice ECF No. 252 ¶¶ 9, 18).
Political Participation
73