Neighborhoods With MLK Streets Are Poorer Than National Average And Highly Segregated, Study Reveals The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Poverty rates are almost double the national average in areas surrounding streets named after Martin Luther King Jr., according to our recent study, and educational attainment is much lower. Please share this article - Go to very top of page, right hand side, for social media buttons. The United States has 955 streets named after Martin Luther King Jr.. The big idea Poverty rates are almost double the national average in areas surrounding streets named after Martin Luther King Jr., according to our recent study, and educational attainment is much lower.