New Census Data Show Rise in Child Poverty, Deep Racial Disparities

While poverty has increased substantially among all Washingtonians during the recession, new Census data released this morning show disturbingly fast growth in the poverty rate among children in our state. 

The new 2009 data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) – which represent the bureau’s most comprehensive source of state-level information on poverty, median income, and many other statistics -- also show that poverty is especially pervasive among Washington’s communities of color. 

The jump in poverty comes amidst a recession that caused a dramatic decline in state revenues, threatening the public services that Washington’s struggling families rely on.  In addition to more than $4 billion in cuts passed the last two legislative sessions, Gov. Gregoire recently called for  6 percent across-the-board budget cuts – mostly hitting health care, worker retraining, child care and other human services that support the growing numbers Washington families living in poverty. In addition, a number of initiatives on November’s ballot would further reduce state resources needed to help those struggling in this economy.

According to the new data:

• Poverty has grown significantly during the recession: The total Poverty rate in Washington grew by 0.9 percentage points from 11.4 percent in 2007 to 12.3 percent in 2009.  The growth in poverty was particularly sharp among children, however.  In 2007, the poverty rate among Washington’s children stood at 14.4 percent.  By 2009 the rate had grown to 15.8 percent – an increase of 1.4 percentage points.

• Large racial disparities remain: The poverty rate varies dramatically among communities of color in Washington.  In 2009, White and Asian communities experienced lower than average poverty rates at 10.1 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively.  Poverty among Latinos (24.8 percent), Native Americans (24.4 percent), and African Americans (24.3 percent) was considerably higher than the statewide average rate.

• Incomes have declined:  Median annual income (adjusted for inflation) in Washington state fell by nearly $1,000, from $57,508 in 2007 to $56,548 in 2009.
  

In addition, separate data found that between 2007 and 2009, average participation in Supplemental  Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – formerly referred to as food stamps – increased by 51 percent in Washington state.

(Note:  Last week the Budget & Policy Center released a preliminary set of poverty and health insurance statistics from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).  The CPS data is based on a smaller sampling of residents than those released today.)