While Latinos are gaining in political clout, they are also falling down the economic ladder, new Census numbers show

Latinos poverty rates climbed to 28% after the census reconfigured its algorithm to take into account medical costs and government programs. The Hispanic poverty level rose after the government took into account safety-net programs such as food stamps and housing, which have lower participation among immigrants and non-English speakers. Hispanics and Asians also saw much higher rates of poverty, 28% and 16.9%, respectively, compared with rates of 25.4% and 12.3% under the official formula. In contrast, African-Americans saw a modest decrease in poverty, from 27.8% under the official rate to 25.7% based on the revised numbers. Among non-Hispanic whites, poverty rose from 9.9% to 11%.