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Child Poverty
What is it?
Poverty is the condition of not having enough
income to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and
health care. Because children are dependent on others, they
enter or avoid poverty by virtue of their family’s economic
circumstances.
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How is Poverty Status
Determined?
Poverty status is
determined by comparing the income of a family to the
poverty thresholds established by the U.S. Census Bureau.
There are 48 poverty thresholds and each family is
assigned to a threshold based on family size including
children. If the income of a family is below the threshold
appropriate for that family, the family is considered to
be in poverty and each individual in the family has the
same poverty status. For individuals who live alone, their
own income is compared to the threshold.
Click here to view the 2009 Poverty Thresholds.
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Why is it important?
Results from a number of studies
support poverty’s association with poor outcomes for children.
Some of the ways in which poverty manifests itself is through
inadequate nutrition, exposure to fewer learning experiences,
family instability, lower quality schools, increased exposure to
environmental toxins and dangerous neighborhoods; all of which
serve as barriers to children reaching their full potential. The
consequences are that children living in poverty are at greater
risk of a wide range of social, behavioral, physical and mental
health problems than children living at or above the poverty
level. These risks are also higher for children who are in
poverty at an early age and/or are in poverty for a number of
years. For example, children who experience poverty during their
preschool or early years have a higher probability of poor
academic achievement and dropping out of school than those who
experience poverty at a later age. The economic and social costs
of poverty are observable in the form of higher crime,
neighborhoods that are unattractive to business due to a lack of
a skilled workforce and higher costs associated with the overall
poorer health of the population.
For more in-depth discussion of child
poverty and its effects see:
www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=53&articleid=287
How are we doing?
The Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey estimates
that there are approximately
13.2
million children
under the age of 18 in the United States living in poverty. This
figure comprises18.2 % (margin of error +/- 0.2 at 90%
confidence level) of all children under 18 in the U.S.
Poverty Status of Pinellas County’s
Children Under 18
The following chart depicts the poverty status of Pinellas
County’s children under the age of 18 for 2006-08. The chart is
based on the ratio of family income to the poverty threshold.
Sample poverty thresholds for 2008 are shown in the top portion
of the bar. Of the estimated 171,000 children in Pinellas
County, approximately 29,000 children, 16.9% (margin of error
+/- 1.7 at 90% confidence level), of the total, fell below the
poverty threshold. Six percent, approximately 10,000 children,
lived in families with incomes below 50% of the poverty
threshold.
- The percentage of Pinellas’ under 18 population living in
poverty (16.9%) in 2006-08 was below the U.S. average (18.2%)
and Florida (17.6%). A comparison of Pinellas to that of the
U.S., Florida and other counties of similar size is shown
below.
- Slightly more than two-thirds of Pinellas’ under 18
population in poverty were under 12 years of age.
- The poverty rate for Pinellas’ total population was
substantially below that of Pinellas’ under 18 population. In
2006-08, approximately 101,000 individuals, 11.2% (margin of
error +/- 0.5 at 90% confidence level) of Pinellas’ total
population, were living in poverty.
- Pinellas County’s overall poverty rate was below the
U.S., Florida and similarly sized Florida counties except
Palm Beach.
Pinellas County Poverty by
Race/Ethnicity
According to the 2006-08 American Community Surveys, 53% of
Pinellas County’s under 18 population in poverty was estimated
to be white, 36% was black and 8% was multiracial or other
races. Sixteen percent of the under 18 population in poverty was
Hispanic.
In contrast to the under 18
population, 69% of Pinellas County’s total population in poverty
was white, 23% was black and 8% was multiracial or other races.
Eleven percent of the total population in poverty was Hispanic.
Poverty Rates of Pinellas County’s
Under 18 Population by Race
During 2006-08, the percentage of black youths under 18
living in poverty (black youths in poverty/total black youths)
was more than triple that of white youths (37.7% vs. 12.0%). The
percentage of Hispanic youths in poverty was 25.7%, more than
twice that of whites.
Poverty Status of Pinellas County
Families with Children by Family Type
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Definitions
Related Children
Related children are all people in a household
under the age of 18, regardless of marital status, who
are related to the householder. The
householder's spouse or foster children, regardless of
age, are not included.
Family Type
A family includes a householder and one or
more people living in the same household who are
related to the householder by birth, marriage, or
adoption. All people in a household who are related to
the householder are regarded as members of his or her
family. Families may be a "Married Couple Family,"
"Single Parent Family," "Stepfamily," or "Subfamily."
Householder
The person, or one of the people, in whose name the
home is owned, being bought, or rented.
Source: U.S.
Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Glossary |
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Pinellas County families with related
children under the age of 18 headed by a single female
householder (no spouse present) accounted for almost two-thirds
of all Pinellas families living in poverty in 2006-08. A
comparison of Pinellas to the U.S., Florida and similarly sized
Florida counties is shown below:
Households led by single black females
were twice as likely to be in poverty as households led by
single white females. Hispanic females were also significantly
more likely to be in poverty than whites.
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According to the 2000
Census, Pinellas County zip codes with the highest number of
families with related children under 18 living in poverty are
33705, 33711 and 33712 and are located in the southern portion
of Pinellas County
(click
link to view poverty map 1.)
These same zip codes are
also among those with the highest percentage 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
Read More About It:
Child Poverty Persistence
http://www.urban.org/publications/412126.html
Children in Extreme Poverty in the South and the Nation
2010 Child Well-Being Index
http://www.fcd-us.org/resources/resources_show.htm?doc_id=1266393
Who Are America’s Poor Children?
http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_912.html
Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Children Aged 12-17
Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Children Aged 6-11
Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Children
Under Age 18
Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Children Under Age
3
Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Children Under Age
6
U.S. Census Bureau - 2008 Income and Poverty Estimates for All
School Districts and Counties
KIDS COUNT Indicator Brief: Reducing the Child Poverty
Rate, July 2009
Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United
States 2008
Basic Facts About Low-income Adolescents Age 12 to 18
Children in Poverty: Trends, Consequences, and Policy Options
Child Welfare League of America Florida Fact
Sheet 2008
http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/statefactsheets/2008/florida.htm
Incomes, Earnings, and Poverty from the 2007
American Community Survey
http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/acs-09.pdf
Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage
in the United States: 2007
http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p60-235.pdf
The State of Working Florida:
http://www.risep-fiu.org/reports/State_of_Working_Florida_2008.pdf
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