Poverty Resources

Poverty Quick Facts

Summer 2008

Many news outlets have reported on the recent spike in demand for food stamps and food assistance.

Food Stamps

According to the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the number of people receiving food stamps has been increasing steadily since summer 2007. 

  • In March 2008 (the most recent month available as of the end of June), 27,878,875 Americans participated in the Food Stamp Program.  This figure represents a 6% increase from the March 2007 totals.
  • The states with largest increase in food stamp users between March 2007 and March 2008 are Florida (19%) and Nevada (18.6%), followed by Arizona (15.1%), Idaho (14.3%), Maryland (13.8%) and Rhode Island (12.2%).  Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska and Oklahoma were the only states that experienced a drop in enrollment (from -2.3% in Arkansas to -.4 in Nebraska) during this same time period.
  • Approximately one out of 11 Americans receives food stamps.  The average monthly benefit was $100.95 per person in March 2008.
  • The rate of increase in North Carolina was slightly higher than the nation as a whole.  In March 2007, 870,376 North Carolinians participated in the Food Stamp Program.  That number jumped to 928, 874 in March 2008--a rise of 6.7%.
For more data on food stamp use, visit the Food and Nutrition Service website at http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/fspmain.htm.

For articles on food stamps, see:

Food Assistance

According to a survey conducted by America's Second Harvest this spring, 99% of participating food banks said that they had experienced an increase in the number of clients they served in the past year.  The survey estimated that nationally the number of clients served went up 15-20%.  Over 80% of surveyed food banks indicated that they were unable to adequately meet demand without having to reduce the amount of food distributed or their operations. 

To see more survey results, visit http://secondharvest.org/news_room/local_impact/.

For articles about the pressure on food banks and pantries, see:

Rising Costs

The rising cost of food and fuel are frequently the two major reasons cited for the growing reliance on food stamps and/or food pantries.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks the Consumer Price Index, reports that nationally the cost of "food at home" went up an average of 5.8% between May 2007 and May 2008.  However, the price of some essential grocery items has skyrocketed well beyond that rate. 

  • Cereal and bakery items are up 10.5%
  • Bread is up 15.9%
  • Eggs are up 18.2%
  • Milk is up 10.2%
  • Rice is up 19.9%
Moreover the cost of household energy has risen 11.9% (with states that depend on oil and kerosene for heating especially hard-hit).  And no one needs to be told that the cost of regular unleaded gas has jumped--20.5% on average. 

For more information on the Consumer Price Index, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/home.htm.

Spring 2008

On January 9, 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau released the Small Area Income and and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for 2005.  

Focusing on North Carolina, SAIPE's findings provide reason for concern.

Poverty rates for all ages in North Carolina and the U.S. in 2005:

  • The poverty rate for the U.S. overall was 13.3%.
  • The number of individuals in North Carolina who were poor in 2005 was about 1,226,979 or approximately 14.9% of the population. 
  • The poverty rate for N.C. counties ranged from 8.3% for Dare to 32% for Robeson.  Twenty-five of N.C.'s 100 counties had poverty rates of 20% or higher.  Seventy-two counties had poverty rates higher than the national average.

Poverty rates for children in North Carolina and the U.S. in 2005:

  • The national rate for all children was 18.5%; for children under five it was 21.3%.
  • Of children in N.C., 20.8% were poor.  In other words, across the state, one out of five children were poor.  The statewide poverty rate for children under five was even higher at 23.3%.
  • Camden County had the lowest childhood poverty rate at 11.3%; Robeson County had the highest at 47%--almost half of all children in the county.
  • Overall, 69 N.C. counties had childhood poverty rates higher than 20%; 16 had rates of 30% or more.

Median income in North Carolina and the U.S. in 2005:

  • In N.C., the median income was $40,781, with median incomes by county ranging from $26,379 (Bertie) to $57,741 (Wake).
  • Median income in the U.S. was $46,242.  New Jersey had the highest average income at $61,694, followed closely by Maryland with $61,546.  Mississippi had the lowest median income at $33,090.

Comparisons with previous years:

Because the data sources for the 2005 estimates were different from previous years, the Census Bureau cautions against directly comparing the two groups.  However, some media outlets have taken the liberty of doing so.  For what it's worth, here are a few generalities:

  • According to SAIPE, the poverty rate in N.C. in 2004 was 13.8% (2005 was 14.9%); in 2000 it was 11.7%.
  • Median income in N.C. in 2004 was $40,863 ($40,781 in 2005); in 2000 it was $38,889.  Income is not adjusted for inflation.

Background information:

SAIPE data can be searched by state, county or school district and is based on several administrative and survey sources, including the American Community Survey, federal income tax returns and numbers of food stamp recipients.

For more information, visit the Census Bureau website at www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe.

For the purposes of the federal government, poverty is defined as three times the estimated cost of feeding a family, based on the assumption that food comprises one-third of a family's expenses.  This is widely considered to be an outmoded and inaccurate determination of poverty. 

According to the 2007 federal guidelines, the poverty level for a family of four is $20,650 a year. 

For more poverty statistics, information and resources, please select one of the following categories: