This cumulative incidence study was accomplished among adults in Upstate New York metropolitan areas (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany--1979-1986). It used a new ecological socioeconomic status measure--near poverty status (i.e., below 200% of the federally established poverty criterion, including the poor and near poor)--and observed its association with site-specific cancer incidence (lung, stomach, cervix uteri, prostate, colon, rectum and breast). Findings were: 1) near poverty status is directly associated with each cancer site's incidence and the strength of the associations are similar among blacks and whites for each one and 2) the prevalence of exposure, of living in high near impoverishment areas, is nearly seven-fold greater among blacks; prevalence ratio [PR] = 6.74 (95% confidence interval [CI]:5.07,8.99).