The underclass is a social group experiencing severe and persistent disadvantage. It is not just the working poor or the temporarily unemployed. It is a group that is chronically excluded from the labor market, often concentrated in segregated neighborhoods, and dependent on public assistance or illegal income.

The term is controversial. Some sociologists argue it stigmatizes the poor. Others say it describes a real and distinct group. William Julius Wilson used the term to describe Black urban poor in the U.S. who were left behind by deindustrialization and middle-class flight.

Characteristics

• Long-term unemployment or underemployment
• Reliance on welfare or illegal work
• Residential segregation and poor housing
• High rates of crime and incarceration
• Limited access to education and healthcare

The underclass is not a permanent category. People move in and out. But for some, disadvantage is intergenerational. Policies that address jobs, housing, education, and criminal justice can reduce the underclass. Without them, it persists.