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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates

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  • Iowans’ incomes edge higher, Census Bureau report shows, By William Petroski, December 9, 2010, Des Moines Register: “The median household income in Iowa rose by less than $1,000 between 2007 and 2009, and the poverty rate climbed nearly 1 percentage point, but Iowans fared better than people in many other states hard-hit by the economic recession, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The median household income in Iowa last year was $48,065, which trailed the national median income of $50,221. Still, the Iowa figure increased from $47,324 two years earlier, while the national figure slid from $50,740 in 2007. Iowa’s statewide poverty rate in 2009 was 11.8 percent, up from 11 percent two years earlier. But it remained lower than the national poverty rate last year of 14.3 percent…”
  • Census: County poverty rate stable, By Emily Schettler, December 9, 2010, Iowa City Press-Citizen: “New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Wednesday showed that while poverty increased in some counties, in many others, including Johnson County, poverty rates stayed the same or actually decreased from 2007 to 2009. According to the 2009 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, the poverty rate for children ages 5 to 17 in families rose in 295 counties and declined in 19 counties of the 3,140 counties studied. In Johnson County, like much of Iowa, there was not a significant statistical change from 2007 to 2009…”
  • Childhood poverty worsens in Multnomah County, By Betsy Hammond, December 8, 2010, The Oregonian: “New estimates by the Census Bureau show that child poverty, already a serious problem in the eastern two-thirds of Multnomah County, worsened from 2008 to 2009. Based on tax returns and census surveys, federal officials estimate that the share of school-aged children living in poverty rose in nearly every Multnomah school district east of Portland Public Schools, including Reynolds, David Douglas, Centennial and Parkrose. Those four school districts together are home to 32,000 students, and all four saw their school-aged poverty rate rise at least 3 percentage points from 2008…”