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North of Chicago, poverty is not at the forefront of the minds of politicians or residents. However, Evanston is home to significant numbers of people living in poverty.
The U.S. Census defines poverty through several factors, including the size of the family and the age of each member. For example, a family of four with two children has a poverty threshold of $23,283 annually. In addition, the U.S. Census calculates income before taxes and includes a variety of earnings beyond wages.
The U.S. Census documents one measure of poverty as the ratio of a household's income relative to their poverty threshold. Ratios below 1 indicate households that earn below the defined wage of poverty. This map shows the number of people who have a ratio below 1 in each Evanston census tract.
In Evanston, people living in poverty tend to be concentrated toward the south and near downtown. Census Tract 8096, which contains Evanston Township High School, also has a higher percentage of people living in poverty.