Of Latinos living in the United States, Puerto Ricans have the highest poverty rate, according to a new report by the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. The finding is based on the 2000 U.S. Census, which for the first time included data on Puerto Ricans living on the U.S. mainland. The poverty rate for Puerto Ricans is 26 percent, compared with only 8 percent for non-Latino whites. Sixty-six percent of Puerto Ricans 25 years and older have completed high school, compared with 84 percent of non-Latino whites, and the unemployment rate for Puerto Ricans is 10 percent. Puerto Ricans are also much more widely dispersed than in decades past: New York State once was home to more than 80 percent of all Puerto Ricans on the mainland. Today it’s 30 percent. [06/07/04]