The Children's Defense Fund's analysis of new state data released by the US Census Bureau reveals that child poverty rates remain at record highs and Black, Hispanic and children under six suffer the most. Only two states (Texas 25.8 percent and Illinois 20.7 percent) experienced significant decreases from 2011. Child poverty rates actually increased in three states (New Hampshire 15.6 percent, Mississippi 34.7 percent and California 23.8 percent) and remained at 2011 levels for the remaining 45 states. Vermont's rate was 15.5 percent. North Dakota had the lowest rate at 13.2 percent. Mississippi had the highest rate.
"Children's ability to survive, thrive and develop must not depend on the lottery of geography of birth. A child is a child and should be protected by a national floor of decency. We can and must end child poverty. It's about values. It's about priorities. It's about who we are as Americans. The greatest threat to America's national security comes from no foreign enemy but from our failure to invest in healthy and educated children," said Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund.
"All Americans including those in Congress have to recognize that Black and Hispanic children already are a majority of our babies and are the face of our future. We need them to be productive. Every year we keep over 16 million children in poverty we are losing hundreds of billions of dollars. Children did not cause the recession and they should not have to suffer from the recklessness of others. If we want to build a strong workforce and military and to stand for the basic tenets of justice for the most voiceless in our midst, we must end child poverty. How is it possible when millions of children are poor, Congress could for one minute consider cutting their food assistance," asked Edelman referring to a proposal in the House of Representatives to cut SNAP by about $40 billion over the next ten years.
The states with child poverty rates 25 percent or higher are:
Mississippi: 34.7
New Mexico: 29.3
Arkansas: 28.5
Louisiana: 28.1
Alabama: 27.5
Georgia: 27.2
Arizona: 27.0
South Carolina: 26.9
Kentucky: 26.5
North Carolina: 26.0
Texas: 25.8
Tennessee: 25.8
Florida: 25.4
Poverty is defined as an annual income below $23,492 for the average family of four’$1,958 a month,$452 a week, or $64 a day. Extreme poverty is defined as an annual income of less than half of the poverty level or $11,746 a year, $979 a month, $226 a week, or $32 a day for the average family of four.
Children's Defense Fund
2012 Child Poverty Data based on the 2012 American Community Survey
September 18. 2013
Only 4 states saw statistically significant changes compared to 2011, and 43 states have rates that remain statistically significantly higher than in 2007:
2012 Child Poverty Rate (%)
2011 Child Poverty Rate (%)
Absolute Change in Poverty Rate 2011 to 2012
Relative Change in the Poverty Rate 2011 to 2012
Statistically Significant Change?
2007 Child Poverty Rate (%)
Absolute Change in Poverty Rate 2007 to 2012
Relative Change in the Poverty Rate 2007 to 2012
Statistically Significant Change?
Alabama
27.5
27.6
-0.1
-0.4
24.3
3.2
13.2
Y
Alaska
13.9
14.5
-0.6
-4.1
11.5
2.4
20.9
Y
Arizona
27
27.2
-0.2
-0.7
20.2
6.8
33.7
Y
Arkansas
28.5
28.1
0.4
1.4
25.8
2.7
10.5
Y
California
23.8
22.8
1.0
4.4
Y
17.3
6.5
37.6
Y
Colorado
18.5
17.9
0.6
3.4
16.3
2.2
13.5
Y
Connecticut
14.8
14.9
-0.1
-0.7
11.1
3.7
33.3
Y
Delaware
17.4
17.5
-0.1
-0.6
14.7
2.7
18.4
District of Columbia
26.5
30.3
-3.8
-12.5
22.7
3.8
16.7
Florida
25.4
24.9
0.5
2.0
17.1
8.3
48.5
Y
Georgia
27.2
26.3
0.9
3.4
19.7
7.5
38.1
Y
Hawaii
17.1
17
0.1
0.6
9.8
7.3
74.5
Y
Idaho
20.7
20.4
0.3
1.5
15.9
4.8
30.2
Y
Illinois
20.7
21.6
-0.9
-4.2
Y
16.6
4.1
24.7
Y
Indiana
22.4
23
-0.6
-2.6
17.3
5.1
29.5
Y
Iowa
15.9
17.3
-1.4
-8.1
13.6
2.3
16.9
Y
Kansas
19
18.8
0.2
1.1
14.6
4.4
30.1
Y
Kentucky
26.5
27.4
-0.9
-3.3
23.9
2.6
10.9
Y
Louisiana
28.1
28.8
-0.7
-2.4
26.8
1.3
4.9
Maine
20.9
18.8
2.1
11.2
15.4
5.5
35.7
Y
Maryland
13.8
13.5
0.3
2.2
10.5
3.3
31.4
Y
Massachusetts
15.4
15.2
0.2
1.3
12.9
2.5
19.4
Y
Michigan
24.9
24.8
0.1
0.4
19.4
5.5
28.4
Y
Minnesota
14.6
15.4
-0.8
-5.2
12
2.6
21.7
Y
Mississippi
34.7
31.8
2.9
9.1
Y
29.3
5.4
18.4
Y
Missouri
22.6
22.1
0.5
2.3
17.7
4.9
27.7
Y
Montana
20.3
19.7
0.6
3.0
18.3
2.0
10.9
Nebraska
17.9
18.1
-0.2
-1.1
14.9
3.0
20.1
Y
Nevada
24
22.1
1.9
8.6
15.3
8.7
56.9
Y
New Hampshire
15.6
12
3.6
30.0
Y
8.8
6.8
77.3
Y
New Jersey
15.4
14.7
0.7
4.8
11.6
3.8
32.8
Y
New Mexico
29.3
30.7
-1.4
-4.6
25.5
3.8
14.9
Y
New York
22.8
22.6
0.2
0.9
19.4
3.4
17.5
Y
North Carolina
26
25.6
0.4
1.6
19.5
6.5
33.3
Y
North Dakota
13.2
14.6
-1.4
-9.6
13.4
-0.2
-1.5
Ohio
23.8
24.2
-0.4
-1.7
18.5
5.3
28.6
Y
Oklahoma
24.1
23.4
0.7
3.0
22.5
1.6
7.1
Y
Oregon
23
23.6
-0.6
-2.5
16.9
6.1
36.1
Y
Pennsylvania
19.7
19.6
0.1
0.5
16.3
3.4
20.9
Y
Rhode Island
19.5
21.9
-2.4
-11.0
17.5
2.0
11.4
South Carolina
26.9
27.8
-0.9
-3.2
20.9
6.0
28.7
Y
South Dakota
17.5
18.2
-0.7
-3.8
16.8
0.7
4.2
Tennessee
25.8
26.3
-0.5
-1.9
23
2.8
12.2
Y
Texas
25.8
26.6
-0.8
-3.0
Y
23.2
2.6
11.2
Y
Utah
15.1
15.9
-0.8
-5.0
11
4.1
37.3
Y
Vermont
15.5
14.9
0.6
4.0
12.4
3.1
25.0
Y
Virginia
15.3
15.3
0.0
0.0
13
2.3
17.7
Y
Washington
18.5
18.3
0.2
1.1
15
3.5
23.3
Y
West Virginia
24.6
25.8
-1.2
-4.7
22.8
1.8
7.9
Wisconsin
18.2
18.2
0.0
0.0
14.4
3.8
26.4
Y
Wyoming
16.9
15.6
1.3
8.3
11.6
5.3
45.7
Y
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2013. 2007, 2011 and 2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table GCT1704. Accessed via American FactFinder 2: http://factfinder2.census.gov. Additional calculations by the Children's Defense Fund. Statistical significance is at 90% confidence level.
In 24 states, 40 percent or more of the Black children were poor
State
Number of Poor
Children (2012)
Child Poverty Rate
(2012)
Poverty Rate Rank
(2012)
Kentucky
46,820
52.0
45
Oregon
9,815
51.7
44
Mississippi
167,297
51.6
43
Michigan
183,937
51.0
42
Wisconsin
56,228
50.2
41
Ohio
189,153
50.1
40
West Virginia
7,150
49.4
39
South Dakota
2,214
47.8
38
Nebraska
12,714
47.1
37
Arkansas
61,838
46.7
36
Louisiana
192,417
46.4
35
Minnesota
43,417
46.1
34
Alabama
152,775
45.7
33
Indiana
77,859
45.5
32
Missouri
82,494
45.2
31
Iowa
12,562
44.7
30
Illinois
213,235
44.6
29
Tennessee
125,391
42.4
28
Oklahoma
29,895
41.8
27
South Carolina
140,579
41.7
26
Colorado
25,123
41.1
24
Maine
1,655
41.1
24
North Carolina
217,736
40.9
23
Florida
335,424
40.4
22
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2013. "2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates," Table B17020B. Accessed via FactFinder2. Additional calculations by the Children's Defense Fund.
In 39 states, 30 percent or more of Hispanic children were poor
Number of Poor
Children (2012)
Child Poverty Rate
(2012)
Child Poverty
Rate Rank (2012)
Tennessee
53,601
46.2
50
Alabama
31,709
44.8
49
Mississippi
11,845
43.6
47
North Carolina
140,983
43.6
47
Georgia
144,097
43.1
46
Pennsylvania
115,570
42.4
45
Rhode Island
19,638
42.0
44
South Carolina
36,144
41.6
43
Kentucky
19,654
41.0
42
Arkansas
32,223
40.9
41
Montana
4,238
39.7
40
New Hampshire
5,588
39.1
39
Ohio
53,286
38.9
38
Indiana
60,307
38.6
37
Massachusetts
82,124
38.2
36
Missouri
30,279
37.7
35
Oklahoma
51,756
37.5
34
Arizona
259,642
37.4
33
Oregon
67,610
37.2
32
Utah
53,934
36.9
31
Idaho
26,383
36.2
30
Wisconsin
49,505
35.9
29
Maine
2,241
35.4
27
Michigan
60,352
35.4
27
Texas
1,187,019
35.1
26
New York
341,343
35.0
25
Connecticut
56,750
34.6
23
Washington
106,514
34.6
23
New Mexico
101,708
34.1
22
South Dakota
3,173
33.3
21
Kansas
40,754
33.0
20
Nebraska
23,121
32.5
19
California
1,503,860
32.0
18
Nevada
84,136
31.9
17
Delaware
8,993
31.6
16
Colorado
117,791
31.4
15
Florida
350,407
31.1
14
Iowa
20,094
30.9
13
Minnesota
32,096
30.4
12
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2013. "2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates," Table B17020I. Accessed via FactFinder2. Additional calculations by the Children's Defense Fund.
In 24 states, more than 25 percent of (or one in four) children under six lived in poverty
Number of Poor
Children (2012)
Child Poverty
Rate (2012)
Child Poverty
Rate Rank (2012)
Mississippi
95,424
39.0
50
New Mexico
57,298
33.5
49
Alabama
115,760
32.2
48
South Carolina
110,774
31.5
47
Arkansas
71,618
31.5
46
Georgia
250,258
31.0
45
Kentucky
101,191
30.6
44
Louisiana
111,786
30.3
43
Arizona
157,028
30.2
42
North Carolina
220,452
29.9
41
Michigan
195,679
29.0
40
Tennessee
138,723
28.9
39
Texas
660,536
28.7
38
Florida
362,801
28.4
37
Ohio
235,210
28.3
36
West Virginia
34,777
27.9
35
Oklahoma
85,579
27.7
34
Oregon
74,892
27.1
33
Indiana
137,076
27.0
32
Missouri
119,940
27.0
31
Nevada
59,664
27.0
30
Maine
20,670
26.0
29
California
760,003
25.3
28
New York
346,565
25.3
27
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2013. "2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates," Table B17001. Accessed via FactFinder2. Additional calculations by the Children's Defense Fund.
SOURCE WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Children's Defense Fund. The Children's Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, aHead Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.