Working and Leaving Welfare: Does Race or Ethnicity Matter?

This article analyzes differences in welfare and labor market participation among white, African‐American, and Hispanic welfare recipients in Riverside, California. In the absence of a welfare‐to‐work program intervention, African Americans and Hispanics worked as much or more than whites but were less likely to leave welfare. This might be explained in part by their lower marriage and cohabitation rates and, perhaps, by less financial assistance from social networks and child support. Even with the help of a well‐run program, about half of welfare recipients relied on welfare after 2 years, and African Americans and Hispanics remained overrepresented in the welfare population.