One contributor to the persistence of racial differences in health after SES is controlled is that traditional measures of SES are not equivalent across race. For example, compared to whites, college-educated blacks are more likely to experience unemployment, employed blacks are more likely to be exposed to occupational hazards and carcinogens even after adjusting for job experience and education, and have less purchasing power because the costs of a broad range of goods and services are higher in Black communities.45, 57, 58 A large federal survey illustrates how the minority poor are poorer than the white poor. It found that even after adjustment for a broad range of demographic, SES, and health status factors blacks were more likely than whites to report six economic hardships (unable to meet essential expenses, pay full rent or mortgage, pay full utility bill, had utilities or telephone shut off, or was evicted from one’s apartment).59
