Poverty And Children In The United States

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina exposed glaring truths about poverty in America. Child poverty and material hardship are not just problems experienced by the states in Hurricane Katrina's pathÐ'--they plague Americans around the country. Just as residents began the clean-up process, the U.S. Census Bureau released numbers showing that in 2004, the poverty rate rose for the fourth straight year in a rowÐ'--37 million Americans live below the poverty line. In the wake of this national tragedy, poverty should once again become a topic of national concern. Now is the time to focus on how to make sure no more children are left behind.

Americans don't like to talk about poverty. We don't like to believe that the wealthiest nation in the world has families without the resources to afford basic necessities, such as decent housing and sufficient food, or basic services, such as medical and dental care and quality child care. But American poverty is a reality.

Twelve million children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty levelÐ'--which is about $16,000 for a family of three and $19,000 for a family of four. Perhaps more stunning is that 5 million children live in families with incomes of less than half the poverty levelÐ'--and the numbers are rising. Yet research clearly shows that, on average, it takes an income of at least twice poverty to cover a family's most basic expenses. (Sarah Fass and Nancy K. Cauthen Who are America's Poor Children? From the nccp.org/pub_cpt05b.html web site retrieved December 7.2006)

Child poverty is defined as children who live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level (FPL). The annual FPL is $16,090 for a family of three and $19,350 for a family of four.

Extreme child poverty is defined as children who live in families with incomes below half the FPL. Half of the annual FPL is $8,045 for a family of three and $9,675 for a family of four.

According to a recent United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) study, 21.9 percent of the children in the United States live below the poverty line. (The current U.S. poverty line, for a family of four, is an income of $8.70 an hour.)

How does the U.S. rate of child poverty compare with that of other relatively well-off countries? This bar graph presents data to help you answer that question.

Comparing child poverty rates.(SKILLS MASTER)." Junior Scholastic 108.11 (Jan 23, 2006): T-7(2). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. University of Phoenix. 7 Dec. 2006

Since reaching an historic low in 2000, over the last seven years, the number of children living in poverty in the United States has grown by 11.3 percent to approach 13 million, even after a 145,000 child improvement in 2005, according to an analysis by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) of U.S. Census Bureau data. A child's likelihood of being poor has increased by almost 9 percent. The Census Bureau report also showed that, contrary to recent trends, the number and percent of uninsured children increased in 2005. Children in poverty were more likely to be uninsured than other children.

"Poor families and children are being left behind as the benefits of a steadily growing economy fail to trickle down. The persistently high level of child poverty and lack of health coverage for children reflects conscious and misguided political choices," said Marian Wright Edelman, President and Founder of CDF. "How can the Bush Administration and Congressional leaders give enormous tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans who have benefited most from the economic recovery while threatening to cut funding for Medicaid, Food Stamps and other programs that assist poor children who continue to be left behind? What kind of country are we that we can't seem to figure out a way to provide health care coverage to our children who represent our future?"

Edelman also pointed out the fact that according to the report, seven out of every ten poor children in 2005 had at least one parent who is employed. A CDF analysis of U.S. Commerce Department data finds that the share of national income going to the wages and salaries of employees was lower in 2005 than it has been in any year since the data started being collected in 1929. (childrensdefense.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7887)

Sadly, in this country, working hard and playing by the rules is not enough to lift families out of poverty. We need action and leadership from Washington and across the country to start to address the root causes of poverty and the crying need for health and mental health care coverage for our children. Far less wealthy industrialized countries have committed to end child poverty, while the United States is sliding backwards. We can do better. We must demand that our leaders do better.

How many children in the United States live in low-income families?

There are 73 million children in the United States.

39%Ð'--28.4 millionÐ'--live in low-income families.

18%Ð'--12.8 millionÐ'--live in poor families.

The District of Columbia has the highest child poverty rateÐ'--30%. Across other

States, child poverty rates range from 7% in New Hampshire to 25% in Arkansas

Have these numbers changed over time?

After a decade of decline, the proportion of children living in low-income families

is rising again, a trend that began in 2000.

What are the family characteristics of low-income children?

Parents' Employment

55% of children in low-income familiesÐ'--15.6 millionÐ'--have at least one parent who works full-time, year-round.

26% of children in low-income familiesÐ'--7.3 millionÐ'--have at least one parent who works part-time or full-time, part-year.

19% of children in low-income familiesÐ'--5.5 millionÐ'--do not have an employed parent.

Parents' Education

26% of children in low-income familiesÐ'--7.3 millionÐ'--live with parents who have less than a high school education.

36% of children in low-income familiesÐ'--10.2 millionÐ'--live with parents who have only a high school diploma.

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