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Why Working Oklahomans Stay Poor
Carly PutnamOICA2015
[email protected]
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Definitions & Key Concepts
Merriam Webster's Definition
(a): the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable
amount of money or material possessions
Relative
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Definitions & Key Concepts
Resources vs. Needs
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Definitions & Key Concepts
Central feature
Difficulty meeting basic human needs
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Definitions & Key Concepts
2015 Poverty Guidelines Persons in family/household Poverty
guideline
1 $11,7702 $15,9303 $20,0904 $24,2505 $28,4106 $32,5707 $36,7308
$40,890
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Definitions & Key Concepts
Safety Net Theory vs. Reality
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State-level Data & Trends
13.2%14.3% 15.3%
15.9% 15.9% 15.8%15.9%16.2% 16.9%
17.2% 17.2% 16.8%
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Poverty rate: Oklahoma vs. US 2008-2013
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State-level Data & Trends
23.7%
15.7%
9.5%
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State-level Data & Trends
15.3%
18.4%
Men Women
Oklahoma adult poverty rate, by gender, 2013
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67.8%
7.1%
6.9%
1.8%
7.7%
9.4%
50.5%
12.7%
9.2%
1.6%
10.5%
15.5%
White, not Hispanic
Black
AI/AN
Asian
2 or more races
Hispanic, non-white
Percent in total state population vs. percent of those in
poverty, 2013
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Causes & Consequences
1. Underemployment & Low-wage Work
Nearly 1 in 3 jobs are in occupations where the median pay is
below poverty
73% of Oklahoma families
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Causes & Consequences
2. Low Educational Attainment
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Causes & Consequences
3. Mass Incarceration
Incarceration takes a lifelong toll on an individuals earning
capacity
There are significant barriers to stable employment and
financial stability for felons and ex-offenders
Employment, housing discrimination
Fee payments, drivers licenses
Child support
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Causes & Consequences
4. Hunger and poor health
17 percent of Oklahoma households are food-insecure
66% RFBO households choose between food and medical care
Over 500,000 residents are uninsured
Malnutrition, poor health, or untreated illness stunt a workers
capacity to earn and drains their assets.
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Causes & Consequences
5. Inequality
Women
The only state where the life expectancy for women declined
during the past decade
Nearly the lowest percentage of female state legislators
People of color
Have been unemployed at nearly twice the rate of whites since
WWII
Disproportionately impacted by criminal justice system
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Causes & Consequences
5. Inequality: Moving up the ladder?
Lowest absolute mobility in Oklahoma
Lowest relative upward mobility
Among the highest in terms of downward mobility
33% of residents move down 10 or more percentiles of the
earnings distribution during their working years
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State-level Data & Trends
Safety Net
TANF (welfare)
SNAP (food stamps)
Medicaid
EITC
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TANF
271,000301,000
282,000 281,000 284,000
30,258 33,477 32,468 29,543 26,489
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Children in families where no parent has regular,
full-timeemployment
Children receiving TANF
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A Place at the Table
44%
24%
8%
10%
14%
SNAP recipients per month, Oklahoma, 2013
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Medicaid in Oklahoma
Medicaid covered 829,561 people in Oklahoma as of July 2015
Source: SoonerCare Fast Facts
65.45%
16.35%
10.28%
2.75%5.04% 0.05% 0.07%
Children (all)
Aged/Blind/Disabled
Parents
Other
SoonerPlan
Oklahoma Cares
TEFRA
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The Coverage Crater
104,000
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1,136,8911,167,778
1,233,521 1,261,2431,190,808
1,133,0501,087,731
1,054,768
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Cumulative WIC cases, Oklahoma, 2007-2014
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EITC
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Questions?
Carly Putnam918 794 3944
[email protected]
