Poverty numbers show little change
Fewer people lived in poverty in the Twin Ports in 2008 compared to 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau reported this week, although St. Louis County’s rate remains above the national average.By: John Myers, Duluth News Tribune
Fewer people lived in poverty in the Twin Ports in 2008 compared to 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau reported this week, although St. Louis County’s rate remains above the national average.
The Census Bureau data show nationally, 39.1 million Americans lived below the government’s threshold for poverty, about 13.2 percent of the nation’s residents. That’s up a bit from 38 million and 13 percent in 2007.
In St. Louis County, about 26,873 people lived below the poverty level, or 14.4 percent of the county’s residents. That’s down from 14.9 percent in 2007.
Douglas County showed a significant drop in poverty under the Census Bureau data, with 4,974 residents, or 11.7 percent of the population, living below the line in 2008 — down from 14.6 percent in 2007.
But Census Bureau officials caution their numbers are only an estimate gleaned from various sources and samples. And in fact, Douglas County officials say they haven’t seen any slowdown in the number off people seeking food, financial and health assistance.
“The trend for our caseloads has been up,” said Pat Shannon, director of Health and Human Services for the county. “We’re seeing more people seeking help.”
The number of households seeking economic assistance through the county was 3,580 in 2006, 3,607 in 2007, 4,064 for 2008 and 4,694 through October this year.
“For us, the economy probably got worse this year, in 2009, compared to 2008, so that may explain some of the difference,” said April Heim, Douglas County’s economic support manager. “And some of our programs have had expanded eligibility, so the numbers have gone up because of that … but that doesn’t explain all of the increase.”
Steve O’Neil, a St. Louis County commissioner and part-time advocate for impoverished families at Churches United in Ministry in Duluth, said need by families in poverty situations has only increased as more Northland businesses have shed employees.
“My sense is things have got worse over the last two years, especially in 2009. There’s been a real increase in homelessness in St. Luis County, especially families,” O’Neil said. “There are so many different places that have [had layoffs] that the ripple effect has been noticeable.”
Statewide in Wisconsin, 573,000 people, or 10.5 percent of the state, were in poverty last year, down from 10.8 percent in 2007. In Minnesota, 490,000 people, or 9.6 percent of the population, lived in poverty in 2008, up from 9.5 percent in 2007.
The Small Area Income and Poverty Estimate released Wednesday is the bureau’s most complete poverty estimate that includes county-specific data. The Census Bureau uses a complicated “poverty threshold” to determine its poverty level, but it generally means an income of $11,000 or less for a single person or $22,000 or less for a family of four.
The median U.S. Household income for 2008 was $52,029; in Minnesota, it was $57,318; St. Louis County was $43,954; Douglas County was $45,788.
Nationally, among all people living in poverty in 2008, about 13.2 million were children. That means 18.2 percent of all people younger than 18 lived in poverty, compared to 13.2 percent of the general population.
Ziebach County, S.D., had the highest poverty rate in the U.S. at 54.4 percent of residents below the official poverty line. The median income in Ziebach County was $25,592. Loudon County, Va., had the lowest rate at about 3 percent, with a median household income of nearly $112,000.
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