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Arkansas poverty rate rose in 2007, Census Bureau says Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008 By Jason Wiest Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - A greater percentage of Arkansans were living in poverty last year than in 2001 during the low point of the last recession, data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau showed. Also, more Arkansans lack health insurance and the average income of working-age households in Arkansas is still among the country's lowest, census officials reported. The statistics are inexcusable, considering the economy was growing up until last year, said Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. "Thousands of families felt no benefit from this past recovery because of the lack of substantial increase in wages and many other factors that limit their ability to get by," Huddleston said. In 2007, 17.9 percent of Arkansans lived at or below the federal poverty rate of $21,200 a year for a family of four. Arkansas' poverty rate ranked fourth nationwide. While the rate has advanced slowly in recent years, rising from 17.2 percent in 2005, it is up since 2001, when it was 15.4 percent. Child poverty rose 1.6 percent from 2006 to 25.4 percent while poverty among Arkansans 65 and older fell 0.2 percent to 12.1 percent. The median household income rose to $38,134 from $36,599 in 2006, the bureau said. Arkansas ranked 49th nationally in that category in both years. Census officials reported that 17.5 percent of all Arkansans do not have health insurance, based on a two-year average of 2006 and 2007 data. In 2000 and 2001, 14.8 percent of Arkansans reportedly did not have health insurance. As layoffs, foreclosures and the price of gas and health care have all increased since 2007, Huddleston said it's likely Arkansans are worse off now. The advocacy group called for lawmakers to pass a number of measures when the Legislature convenes in January, including creation of a state earned income tax credit to provide relief for low-income families. The group also called for lawmakers to extend ARKids First, the state child heath care program, to provide health insurance to a greater number of children, to close corporate tax loopholes to raise revenue for critical services and to reform the welfare system. |
