American Community Survey

Posted on December 4, 2015 by admin

• Despite recovery, a big spike in U.S. poverty rates, By Aimee Picchi, December 4, 2015, CBS News: “As many Americans can tell you, the post-recession years haven’t been easy. Now, new data backs that up.  Poverty increased in about one-third of U.S. counties between 2010 to 2014 when compared with the previous five years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which studies more than 3,000 counties (see first map below). Does that mean the rest of the country was lifted into prosperity during those years? Not so much. Only 4 percent of counties saw a decrease in poverty over the more recent span…”
• Michigan’s poverty rate soars as income drops even in economic rebound, census shows, By Matt Vande Bunte, December 4, 2015, mlive.com: “Median income in three out of every four Michigan cities and villages declined in the past five years, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. At the same time, the share of people living in poverty has risen in two-thirds of the state’s communities. Statewide, more than one out of every six people are living in poverty, a 17 percent increase from five years ago. The median household income in Michigan is now $49,087 per year – up a few hundred bucks from 2009, but when adjusted for inflation it’s down 8.7 percent during that time…”
• New census data: Bay Area grappling with poverty, housing costs, By Josh Richman, December 2, 2015, San Jose Mercury News: “As the Bay Area recovered from the Great Recession, household incomes increased but so did poverty rates and the cost of housing, according to new data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.  In Santa Clara County, where the tech boom produced tens of thousands of new jobs as the Golden State’s economy rose from the dead, median household income rose 9.7 percent to $93,854 from the five-year period ending in 2009 to the same period ending in 2014…”
• Household income takes sharp downturn in most of Wisconsin, By Kevin Crowe, December 2, 2015, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Median household income fell by a significant margin in two-thirds of Wisconsin counties from 2009 to 2014, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. In Milwaukee County, the median income fell by 10.3% to $43,385. Waukesha County, which had the highest median income in the state at $76,319, saw a 7.1% drop. Washington (-5.2%), Ozaukee (-7.7%) and Racine (-7.9%) counties all experienced declining incomes, as well.  The trend mirrors the nation, which saw median income decline by 7.5% to $53,482, after adjusting for inflation…”