NC
Strategic Scorecard |
1.1.2 Child
Poverty |
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Target: At
least 90% of children live above the poverty line
Actual: 78.5%
above poverty
US
Rank 2004: 41st (down
from 35th in 1995)
SE
Rank 2004: 5th (5th
in 1995)
SE
Region: AL
FL GA KY MS NC SC TN VA WV Updated
3/16/06
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| Primary
Performance Indicator |
Percent
of Children Living Above the Poverty Line
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Performance
Trend:
The
trend depicts the degree to which actual
performance has approached the target in
recent years. |
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Comments
• |
During the last 10 years,
the percent of children living above the poverty line
in NC has not significantly changed and its national
ranking (with the exception of 1997) has languished between
30th and 41st. |
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NC’s
regional ranking for this measure has fluctuated
considerably, from as low as 7th to as high as 1st. |
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According
to another analysis by United Health Foundation (using
2003 data from Census Bureau's March 2004 Current Population
Survey), NC's poverty rate for children was 23.1% in
2003, ranking it 44th (tie) in the US and 8th (tie)
in the SE. |
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Definition
(What Is Being Measured)
Percent
of children aged 0-17 (aged 0-17 for 1998-2003
and aged 5-17 for 1992-1997) living in families
below the federal poverty level which varies
by family size (e.g., in 2003, it was $12,015
for two-person family and $18,810 for four-person
family)
Source: US
Bureau of Census, American Community Survey & Poverty
Status by State; rankings from Morgan Quitno |
Relevance
(Why This Is Important)
Child
poverty poses one of the most significant threats to child health
and development. Children growing up in poverty are more vulnerable
to illness and mortality, suffer higher incidences of neglect and
abuse and exhibit more severe learning and behavioral problems
than children in other income groups. |
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| Other
Highlights |
| North
Carolina |
• |
Poverty
indicators for the general population provide added context
for the child poverty trends shown above. |
• |
In
2004, NC’s three-year average poverty rate for all
citizens rose from 13.1% to 14.2%. |
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In
2004, NC had relatively fewer welfare recipients per 10,000
population than most states—only the 41st most in
the US and 7th most in the SE region (Source: US Dept.
of HHS). |
| • |
In 2003, 8.6% of NC households
received food stamps. |
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Since
the mid-1990s, immigration, especially the influx of poor,
unskilled and unauthorized immigrants, has contributed
significantly to NC’s poverty
levels. |
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According to the Pew Hispanic
Center, in 2004, NC had the 8th highest share (and one of
the fastest-growing populations) of undocumented immigrants
in the US. |
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| • |
Since the
mid-1990s, immigration, especially the influx of poor,
unskilled and unauthorized immigrants, may havve contributed
significantly to NC’s
poverty levels. |
| Southeast
Region |
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| National |
• |
In 2004, the childhood
poverty rate in the US rose to 17.6%, with 33 states witnessing
increases in child poverty (Source: US Census Bureau and
United Health Foundation). |
| • |
The US' child poverty rate is more than twice
that of other industrialized nations while some European
nations have reduced their child poverty rates to under 5%
(Source: Vermont and UNICEF). |
| Global |
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Goal
1.1: Foster
financial self-reliance |
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