Incomes fell or stagnated in most states last year, By Josh Mitchell, September 20, 2012, Wall Street Journal: “The income of the typical U.S. family fell or was flat in almost every state last year, with the drop particularly steep in places where the economy has been hit hard by the housing bust. The median annual household income—the point on the income scale at which half earn more and half earn less—fell in 18 states in 2011 from a year earlier after adjusting for inflation, according to a Census Bureau report to be released Thursday…”
Census figures show N.J. is hurting: incomes are down, public assistance is up, By Kathleen Lynn and Dave Sheingold, September 20, 2012, The Record: “More families received food stamps, fewer children were in private school and incomes dropped in New Jersey in 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday — all signs pointing to a continued erosion of prosperity in one of the nation’s wealthiest states. While many of the statistics changed only slightly, together they paint a picture of a state economy that was still lagging last year, well after the recession officially ended in 2009…”
Baltimore’s poverty rate unchanged at 1 in 4 residents, By Steve Kilar, September 20, 2012, Baltimore Sun: “The poverty rate in Baltimore held steady last year with about 1 in 4 counted as impoverished by the U.S. Census Bureau — a situation that economists say reflects the fits and starts of the nation’s economic recovery. After a jump of more than 4 percent in the city’s poverty rate between 2009 and 2010, the rate held steady in 2011, according to data released Thursday. That stagnation reflects the national trend. In the past two years, 15 percent of the U.S. population was living in poverty, up from 12.5 percent in 2007, the year the Great Recession began, according to census estimates…”
Michigan’s kids suffer hard times as incomes fall, poverty climbs, By John Wisely and Kristi Tanner, September 20, 2012, Detroit Free Press: “Despite claims in the past year that Michigan had bottomed out of the recession, new data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau show there still is much work to be done as incomes continue to fall and poverty rates climb — particularly child poverty rates…”
Overall poverty rate in Tulsa County remained unchanged in 2011, By Ginnie Graham and Curtis Killman, September 21, 2012, Tulsa World: “Median household income and the poverty rate in Oklahoma and Tulsa County remained basically unchanged in 2011 compared to the prior year, according to new census data. The data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey also show state unemployment declined from 2010 to 2011, while income inequality increased during the same period in Oklahoma. The American Community Survey is an ongoing poll conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau…”
Census shows Central Valley areas among poorest in nation, Associated Press, September 21, 2012, San Jose Mercury News: “Three metropolitan areas in California’s Central Valley, the region with the highest farm revenues in the country, rank among the poorest in the state and nation, Census figures released Thursday show. Fresno, Modesto and Bakersfield-Delano areas are among the top five U.S. regions with the highest percentage of residents living below the poverty line. The Fresno area, ranked as the second most impoverished in the nation, trailed only the U.S.-Mexico border area of McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, the American Community Survey figures show. Bakersfield-Delano and Modesto ranked fourth and fifth. The data compared large metro areas in 2011 of half million people or more…”
Decline in Colorado household income slowing, census shows, By Chuck Murphy, September 20, 2012, Denver Post: “Household income continued a steady retreat in Colorado in 2011 but, for the first time, showed signs that an economic recovery is making progress, according to newly released census data. The median household income in the state was $55,387 in 2011, continuing an annual slide that began in 2007, when income peaked at $59,898 before the recession took hold. But in a sign that a gradual recovery is underway, the year-to-year dip was less than $400 between 2010 and 2011 — a big improvement over the year before, when it fell more than $2,000…”
Census data signals economy bottoming out, but poverty in Oregon grows, By Hope Yen (AP), September 20, 2012, Eugene Register-Guard: “Five years after the housing bust, the U.S. economy is showing signs of finally bottoming out. However, troubling numbers stood out for Oregon, where food stamp usage and the percentage of state residents living in poverty both increased. The state’s food stamp usage led the nation at 18.9 percent, or nearly 1 in 5, due in part to generous state provisions that expand food stamp eligibility to families making 185 percent of the poverty level — about $3,400 a month for a family of four. And Oregon was second in poverty rate growth, with the percentage of residents living below the poverty line increasing 1.6 percent to 17.5 percent…”
Farm-state members of Congress returning home empty-handed, can’t campaign on farm bill, Associated Press, September 19, 2012, Washington Post: “Farm-state members of Congress have campaigned for decades on the back of farm bills delivering election-season subsidies and other goodies to rural voters. Not this year. The bill is stalled, primarily because House GOP leaders don’t want a noisy fight over food stamps this close to the election. That poses a particular problem for some Republicans in tight races for the Senate or the House who will go home empty-handed when Congress adjourns this week…”
House GOP punts on farm bill, By Alan Silverleib, September 20, 2012, CNN: “House Republican leaders announced Thursday they will not take action on a new farm bill until after the November elections — a sign of sharp internal GOP divisions on a critical political issue for many members of Congress. ‘We will deal with the farm bill after the election,’ said Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. ‘The current situation that we face is we’ve got people who believe there’s not enough reform in the farm bill that came out of (the House Agriculture) committee, (and) we’ve got others who believe that there’s too much reform in the bill that came out of the committee.’ Boehner indicated GOP leaders do not believe they currently have the votes to pass either a short-term extension or a more comprehensive five-year measure…”
