Research Report Weathering the Recession: The Financial Crisis and Family Wealth Changes in Low-Income Neighborhoods
Leah Hendey, Signe-Mary McKernan, Beadsie Woo
Display Date
File
File
Download
(1.4 MB)

This report looks closely at what happened to assets, debts and home equity for families living in low-income neighborhoods during the Great Recession, using data from the longitudinal Making Connections Survey. We find that both average savings and debt amounts increased between 2005/06 and 2008/09, but asset and debt levels remained lower for vulnerable families, and low-income families disproportionally lost equity during the crisis. Yet even in 2008/09, home equity was substantial and an important component of wealth ($66,000, more than four times as much as families had in savings) for the nearly half of families who were homeowners.
Research and Evidence Family and Financial Well-Being Tax and Income Supports Research to Action Upward Mobility
Expertise Upward Mobility and Inequality Families Social Safety Net Wealth and Financial Well-Being
Tags Asset and debts Welfare and safety net programs Economic well-being Income and wealth distribution Inequality and mobility Financial stability
Cities Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA