-Caveat Lector-
It's interesting that California has a higher-than-average "poverty
level," close to that of dirt-poor states like Arkansas and Kentucky, despite
its higher median income.
"In 1996, the [national average] poverty line for a family of four was
$16,036 a year." (In urban California, however, it's more like $60,000 a
year for a family of three ... )
Using this $35,492 figure for MEDIAN income, HALF of all American
workers earn, after taxes, LESS than $500 a week, representing a de facto
hourly wage of LESS than $10 an hour, for a work-week often heavy on
mandatory overtime, 48 to 56 hours long.
(In the Bay Area, 60% or more of "median income" is needed to cover one's
RENT.)
But look on the bright side: In the time it took you to read the
foregoing, Bill Gates (sitting on the toilet at the time) saw his personal
net worth increase by $354,920 ...
State-by-State Poverty Levels
Percentage of people living in poverty, percentage of children
living in poverty and the median household income in 1996 for the
50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Census
Bureau.
State Pop. poverty Children's poverty Median income
U.S. 13.7 20.5 $35,492
Ala. 17.1 25.3 29,518
Alaska 11.1 15.4 44,280
Ariz. 15.8 23.5 32,842
Ark. 17.6 25.8 27,392
Calif. 16.6 25.2 38,664
Colo. 10.5 14.6 38,722
Conn. 8.7 14.0 45,187
Del. 10.0 15.3 39,723
D.C. 21.1 35.6 34,697
Fla. 14.2 22.3 31,064
Ga. 15.4 23.1 33,919
Hawaii 11.5 17.8 43,815
Idaho 12.0 15.6 33,114
Ill. 12.0 18.2 39,483
Ind. 9.6 13.7 35,542
Iowa 9.4 12.7 33,783
Kansas 10.6 14.4 33,728
Ky. 17.5 25.5 30,418
La. 20.7 29.7 28,742
Maine 12.0 17.1 32,809
Md. 9.6 14.1 44,206
Mass. 9.7 14.6 40,831
Mich. 12.7 19.3 38,127
Minn. 8.6 11.4 39,690
Miss. 20.8 29.8 26,925
Mo. 13.0 19.1 32,791
Mont. 15.0 21.0 28,707
Neb. 9.2 12.2 33,510
Nev. 10.0 14.0 38,186
N.H. 6.2 7.5 40,196
N.J. 8.9 13.7 46,803
N.M. 19.9 29.2 27,303
N.Y. 16.2 25.4 35,737
N.C. 12.8 18.7 34,326
N.D. 11.4 15.3 30,713
Ohio 11.4 16.5 34,213
Okla. 17.2 24.9 27,662
Ore. 12.5 17.3 35,111
Pa. 11.4 16.7 35,140
R.I. 11.8 17.8 36,326
S.C. 15.4 23.4 32,523
S.D. 13.1 18.7 29,846
Tenn. 14.6 21.4 31,128
Texas 17.8 26.2 32,719
Utah 9.8 11.6 36,287
Vt. 10.8 14.6 33,437
Va. 11.3 16.5 38,426
Wash. 11.5 16.7 37,975
W.Va. 20.0 29.9 25,822
Wis. 8.6 12.2 38,472
Wyo. 11.0 14.4 31,180
Miss. Has Highest Poverty Level
By KATHERINE PFLEGER
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of people living in poverty varies widely across
the nation, ranging from the single digits throughout most of the Northeast
to more than 20 percent in some parts of the South, the Census Bureau
reports.
Just 6.2 percent of the people in New Hampshire, and 7.5 percent of that
state's children, were in families earning below the poverty line in 1996. In
Mississippi, the state with the highest poverty rates, 20.8 percent of people
live below the poverty line.
Nationally, 13.7 percent of Americans - and 20.5 percent of children - lived
in poverty in 1996, according to the report being released Wednesday.
The poverty threshold differs by household, depending mainly on the size of
the family. In 1996, the poverty line for a family of four was $16,036 a
year.
The Census Bureau released more recent poverty figures in September, but they
did not give a state-by-state breakdown.
A range of factors contribute to the widespread differences among states,
including a state's income, percentage of minorities and social program
spending, said Sheldon Danziger, social work and public policy professor at
the University of Michigan.
Texas, for example, has high immigration rates and a large number of racial
and ethnic minorities, contributing to its below average performance,
Danziger said. About 18 percent of all Texans and 26 percent of the state's
children live in poverty.
``Texas has always been a state with a relatively restrictive set of social
programs,'' Danziger said. ``It's a state that has always had a good deal of
inequality.''
Greg Duncan, education and social policy professor at Northwestern
University, says a key indicator is also education spending.
``The levels of spending on services like schooling tend to be correlated
pretty substantially with poverty rates,'' Duncan said.
Iowa, for instance, has one of the highest education spending per pupil, he
said. In 1996, 12.7 percent of Iowa's children lived in poverty, the sixth
lowest level in the country.
The District of Columbia fared the worst, with 21.1 percent of all residents
and 35.6 percent of children living in poverty. The district, however, is an
urban area, comparable to other cities, not states.
Child care advocates point to the figures to argue that government should
spend more to help the poor, particularly families.
``The last time we had such strong economic recovery in the 1960s, child
poverty rates dropped in half,'' said Arloc Sherman, poverty researcher at
the Children's Defense Fund, a liberal advocacy group. ``Here, they have
plateaued in most states.''
Moreover, some of the states with the highest poverty, including West
Virginia, Louisiana and Mississippi, have not spent much of their federal
welfare dollars, Sherman said.
Median household incomes, which range from $46,803 in New Jersey to $25,822
in West Virginia, are also an indicator of families' needs.
Differences in the cost of living across the country do not explain the gap,
said Deborah Weinstein, family income division director of the Children's
Defense Fund.
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
