Source: American Community Survey

The chart on this page depicts ethnic variation in income in percentage terms rather than number of households. Here we see the flip side of the previous page. That one showed that most low-income households in Indianapolis are white. This shows that a greater share of black and Hispanic households are low in income. Both statements are true, and good social policies for alleviating poverty and improving the community must bear both facts in mind.

It is difficult to draw conclusions about the Asian population in Indianapolis because it is so small. The latest data (from 2006), illustrated in the chart, show that roughly the same share of Asians earn below $50,000 as whites. The share of Asians earning very high incomes (more than $200,000) is double that of whites. But the numbers are so small that a few well-paid Asian scientists moving into the community could change the chart. In fact, this chart looks quite different from the one developed with 2005 data, when a smaller share of Asians than whites was represented in each wage range below $75,000, but a larger share was represented in the wage ranges above $75,000. We will know better in a year or two if 2006 was a blip or if it started a trend.