More United States child poverty

This video from the USA says about itself:

Kids Count Report: NM is 50

June 24, 2013

New Mexico families got the bad news. Our state is at the bottom of the list when it comes to the well-being of our kids.

By Debra Watson in the USA:

US child poverty surged in 2011

13 July 2013

The number of children living in families with incomes below the official poverty level rose to 16.4 million in 2011, according to the annual Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation released this month. This is an increase of one full percentage point in one year, up to 23 percent from 22 percent (15.7 million) in 2010. More than one in four children under five—26 percent—were officially poor in 2011.

The increase of 700,000 children in poverty in the US between 2010 and 2011 was almost as high as the one million increase the year before.

Data from the foundation’s report last year indicated child poverty had already soared upward by nearly 30 percent from 2000 to 2010. The number of children living in poverty in the US went up by 4.2 million between 2000 and 2011.

“Kids Count Databook 2013” compares the change in several factors of child well being between 2005 and 2011 in order to compare pre- and post-Great Recession measures. Between 2005 and 2011 child poverty increased by 3 million children.

The official poverty level of $22,811 for a family of two adults and two children leaves out nearly half the families that suffer from deprivation. According to the foundation: “families need an income of roughly twice the official poverty level to meet their basic needs, including housing, food, transportation, health care and child care.” Nearly half of all children, 45 percent, live in low-income families that earn less than twice the poverty threshold.

Recent Census data shows that 48.5 million people, 16% of the population, are living in poverty: here.

Related articles

• Why is Child Poverty Worsening in the U.S.? (washingtonmonthly.com)
• Poverty in BC: It’s way worse than I thought (blogs.vancouversun.com)
• Nearly one in four American children in poverty, report finds (tv.msnbc.com)
• Health care, education key to combating rising poverty rates among children, say experts (nbclatino.com)
• Op-Ed: A Tale of Two New Yorks (gothamgazette.com)