Child Poverty

According to research, children living in low-income families have a greater likelihood of social, behavioral, physical and mental health problems than children living at or above the poverty level, with problems in school, teen pregnancy and substance abuse high on the list.  Poverty is probably the single greatest threat to the overall well-being of children in Pinellas County.

• The Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey estimates that there are approximately 13 million children under the age of 18 in the United States living below the federal poverty level, 18.3% of all children under 18 (Click the following link to view the 2007 Poverty Thresholds.)
   
• Based on 2000-2006 U.S. Census Bureau survey data, 10.9% of the total Pinellas County population, approximately 99,000 individuals, is estimated to have been living below the poverty level.  Of the total population classified as living in poverty, 29%, approximately 29,000, are under the age of 18 (representing 16.1% of the total under 18 population).
  
   

• The percentage of Pinellas County related children under 18 living in poverty is below other counties of comparable size except Palm Beach.

• During the 2000-2006 period, approximately 12,300 families in Pinellas County, 12.7 % of all families with children under 18 years of age (5.3% of all families), lived below the poverty level.

• 58% of the families in poverty were led by white-householders, 34% by black householders and 8% for all other races.

• The average poverty rate for black-householder families with related children under the age of 18 during the 2000-2006 period was estimated at 28.5%, approximately 3 times that of white-householder families (9.4%).

• A comparison of Pinellas’ poverty rate for families with related children under 18 to that of Florida and other Florida counties of similar size shows that Pinellas is significantly lower than Florida as a whole as well as below three of four comparative counties (Palm Beach County was lower).

• Families in Pinellas County with related children under the age of 18 and in poverty accounted for 5.3% of all Pinellas County families during the 2000-2006 period.  This is significantly below the percentage for Florida and three of four comparative counties (Palm Beach County had a marginally lower poverty rate).
   

• Pinellas County families in poverty have 2.2 children on average compared to 1.8 for families not in poverty.
   
• Pinellas County families living in poverty and headed by a single female (no spouse present) account for approximately two-thirds of all families below the poverty level.  Single black females are almost twice as likely to be in poverty as single white females.
   

• According to the 2000 Census, the ZIP Codes with the highest number of families with related children under 18 living in poverty are 33705, 33711 and 33712 which are located in the southern portion of Pinellas County (click link to view poverty map 1.)  These same ZIP Codes are also among those areas with the highest percentage concentration of families in poverty (click link to view poverty map 2.)

Funded Agencies:

Department of Health (DOH) – Healthy Families
All Neighborhood Family Centers 
Alpha House of Pinellas – Residential
YWCA – Family Village

Read More About It:

Child Welfare League of America 2007 State Fact Sheets
http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/statefactsheets/2007/florida.htm

 Incomes, Earnings, and Poverty from the 2006 American Community Survey
http://www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/acs-08.pdf

 Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States:  2006
http://www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/p60-233.pdf

Florida’s Welfare Rate Is Lowest in the Nation:  http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB8S35AO6F.html

Consumer Price Index:  http://www.bls.gov/ro4/cpitamp.pdf

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