Black and Hispanic residents in the greater Washington D.C. area endure higher poverty rates than white and Asian residents, though are better off than the national average, according to the latest figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau

In an American Community Survey report, covering a period between 2007 and 2011, the Census report that 14% of black Maryland residents and 19% of black Virginia residents lived in poverty. Both states posted figures well below the national average of 26%. However, Washington D.C.'s poverty level for black residents is roughly equal to the national rate. Hispanic residents of the area fared a bit better. Fourteen percent of the District's Hispanic residents lived below the poverty line during the analyzed period; Maryland and Virginia recorded Hispanic poverty rates of 12.7% and 14.8%, respectively. The national average for Hispanics was recorded at 23.2%. The region's white residents showed some of the lowest poverty rates in the country, with 6% in Maryland, and 8% in both the District and Virginia. For Asian residents, 7.4% in Maryland and 7.9% in Virginia were considered poor, while in the District that figure was 13.4%.