Half of children in 17 U.S. counties live in poverty
By: Reuters
Thur Nov 19, 2009 6:15am EST
(Pic)-A child lies in the bedroom of an apartment in Los Angeles, June 11, 2009. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least one in two children in 17 small counties in the United States is living in poverty, according to a U.S. Census survey measuring income and poverty in small areas and school districts.
Ziebach County, South Dakota, an area with a population of 2,542, leads with a poverty rate for those under the age of 18 of 67.1 percent, the survey released on Wednesday showed. For all ages, the poverty rate is 54.4 percent.
In at least 30 counties with populations ranging from just over 2,000 people to nearly 62,250 people, the poverty rate for all ages is more than one in three, the Census showed.
Douglas County, Colorado with a population of 280,621 has the lowest poverty rate of 3.1 percent, while New Mexico's Los Alamos County has the lowest rate for children of 2.8 percent.
The survey, which relies on 2008 data, is an indication of how American small towns and rural areas are faring economically. The data is also important as the stimulus plan passed in February has special programs targeted to "recovery zones," areas with high unemployment rates and low incomes, and schools where large numbers of the students live hand to mouth.
The county with the smallest median income was also in South Dakota. Buffalo, which has a population of 2,142, has a median household income of $19,182. In 23 small areas, median income does not even reach $25,000.
Virginia is home to the top two counties for median income. Loudon, with a population of 289,995, has a median household income of $111,582 and Fairfax, population 1.02 million, has a median income of $107,075.
The Census also released estimates of poverty for the more than 13,000 U.S. school districts. The New York City Department of Education has the highest number of students living in poverty at nearly 352,670, but it also has the highest number of students at 1.33 million. Still, more than a quarter of its students live in poverty.
Five out of six students in California's Kashia Elementary School district live in poverty.
(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
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A child lies in the bedroom of an apartment in Los Angeles, June 11, 2009. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
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