BIRMINGHAM – Statewide nonprofit group Alabama Possible (AP) recently released its 2017 Alabama Poverty Data Sheet, which highlights statewide poverty rates and data related to educational attainment, employment and food security.
According to the sheet, nearly 900,000 Alabamians live below the poverty line, which is just $24,257 a year for a family of four.
“Although Alabama’s overall poverty rate slightly declined, and our median household income is up, we still have work to do. The rest of America recovered from the recession at an even faster pace, and the gaps between Alabama and the nation’s poverty rate and median household income are bigger than ever,” said a release from AP.
This year’s data sheet shows Cullman County with a poverty rate of 19.4 percent, up from 2016’s reported rate of 17.2 percent
Continued the statement, “Because poverty is so common in Alabama, it can be hard to see. These families are our relatives, our friends, our co-workers, and our neighbors. But they face numerous barriers that result from not having enough money, food, shelter, health care, education, or other necessities of life.”
Here’s what the 2017 Alabama Poverty Data Sheet shows:
- Alabama is the sixth poorest state in the U.S., and 18.5 percent of Alabamians live below the federal poverty line – a noticeably larger percentage than the national average of 14.7 percent.
- 14 of Alabama’s 67 counties have a poverty rate higher than 25 percent. Nine counties have a poverty rate higher than 30 percent.
- 26.5 percent – or nearly 300,000 – of Alabama’s children live in poverty.
- Alabama’s median household income is $44,833, which is nearly $11,000 less than the national median of $55,775.
- African American households in Alabama earn far less than white households. According to the data, white Alabamians earn $50,402 whereas African Americans earn $29,180.
- The risk of hunger is closely tied to poverty. Alabama has a notably high food insecurity rate at 17.7 percent, while the U.S. stands at 13.4 percent.
- The child food insecurity rate stands 24.1 percent, which is higher than the national average of 17.9 percent.
Learn more at http://alabamapossible.org/.
AP PovertyFactSheet 2017 by cullmansense on Scribd
Image courtesy of moveforhunger.org
