The Working Poor:

Who are they?

Data courtesy of The Working Poor Families Project and the Dept. of Health and Human Services office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

What is poor?

According to The Working Poor Family Project, working poor, are those families making 200% of the federal poverty rate

2010 federal poverty rate for a family of 3 was $18,310

2014 federal poverty rate for a family of 3 is $19,790 (only a 7.4% increase)

2011 the US Census Bureau indicated 15% of the population were living in poverty or 46.2 million people

39% of all working families are headed by females

In 2012 7.1 Million working families with children were headed by women

8.5 million children are living in female-headed low income working families

Children living in a female headed household had a poverty rate of 47.6%

How does the cycle continue?

Children living in poverty are more likely to have worse health

Children living in poverty have worse educational outcomes

Children in living in poverty have higher rates of dropping out of high school

Children tend to follow the same educational path as their caregivers

Adults who do not have a high school diploma are more likely to be low-income adults

Children tend to have the same employment trajectories as their parents

Myths about Low-Income Working Families:

Myth: Low income families don’t workFact: 72% of low-income families workMyth: Low income families are overwhelmingly

minority Fact: 43% of low-income working families have

white, non-Hispanic parentsMyth: Low-income families don’t work hardFact: The avg. work hours for low-income families is

equivalent of 1 and ¼ full time jobs

How does Kansas stack up?

79% of all low-income families in Kansas work

31% of all working families make less than 200% of the federal poverty rate in Kansas

35% of all low-income families are headed by females in Kansas

Of those 43% have no post secondary education in Kansas

26% are working in jobs/occupations that pay below the federal poverty rate in Kansas0

Why is it happening and how do we fix it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npj2U1PdIhI#t=91

References:

http://aspe.hhs.gov

www.workingpoorfamilies.org