According to Newman, poverty has hit U.S. children especially hard, with children comprising about 25% of the U.S. population but around 35% of all Americans living in poverty (Newman, p. 315). For children under age six the situation is worse, with 20.8% (one in five) are living in poverty (Newman, p. 315). In addition, Newman says that while 18% of U.S. children are poor, the percentages are higher for Latino and African American children, at 26.9% and 33.4%, respectively (Newman, p. 315). Since Newman’s poverty statistics are based in part on data from 2008 and 2009, I decided to try to find out if the persisting economic downturn in the United States has made these statistics even worse since our book was published. Here is what I was able to find out:
According to recent statistics, from 2009 to 2010, the number of U.S. children under age six living in poverty has increased from 20.8% to 25% (one in four), and the number of these young children in poverty has increased from 5.7 million to 5.9 million from 2009 to 2010. These statistics are based on a Huffington Post article by Jillian Berman you can read here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/22/children-in-poverty-us_n_976868.html?view=print&comm_ref=false
The number of children in the U.S. in poverty has increased by 2.6 million since the recession began in 2008, and the 9.1% unemployment rate may have something to do with this increase (Berman). The percentage of American kids with at least one unemployed or underemployed parent rose from 9.1% in 2007 to over 18% today (Berman).
According to a New York Times article by Sabrina Tavernise, a recent Pew Hispanic Research Center study that analyzed U.S. Census Bureau statistics found that, for the first time, Hispanic children living in poverty in the U.S. outnumber the number of poor white kids. There are now 6.1 million Hispanic children (35% of them) in poverty in our country compared to about 5 million non-Hispanic white children (12.4% of them) in poverty (Tavernise). This is a 36% increase in the number of poor Hispanic children from 2007 to 2010. Tavernise says that the recession is largely to blame for this increase because Hispanics were disproportionately employed in industries such as housing that experienced big declines in the recession. The Hispanic unemployment rate went from 5.7% before the recession to 11 percent today.
According to Tavernise, the situation is even worse for African American children. Their poverty rate climbed from 33.4% in 2008 to 39.1% in 2010, the largest percentage of all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. You can read Tavernise’s article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/us/hispanic-children-in-poverty-surpass-whites-study-finds.html?_r=2
These figures are based on the U.S. definition of poverty and do not include those who do not meet the definition but who are food insecure, who lack affordable housing, or who face other hardships affecting many more American children who are not officially defined as “poor.” Is the United States becoming a nation of poor children? Have a look at this graph from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and decide for yourself.
Child Poverty in the U.S. 2000-2010
If you are interested in additional current statistics on poverty in the U.S. as prepared and analyzed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, they are here: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11/ib.shtml
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