Nothing in the Census report on child poverty levels for 2009 and 2010 was unexpected. The 2010 poverty rate rose slightly to 21.6%, the highest level since 2001. That is the year when the report was first issued. Analysts could have easily predicted where pockets of poverty are. They are in the same regions and states were median income has been low for years, educational attainment has been well below the national average, and adult poverty is pervasive. It is one more sign that the problems of the lower classes of American society are local more than national, and they have to be attacked at the local level if they are to be addressed at all.
The list of states in which the poverty level is above 27%, well in excess of the national average, includes Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. The Gulf states have been mired in the same problems since well before the Census began to keep numbers. These states have many disadvantages. Their economies are largely based on agriculture. The states have few natural resources, compared to others that are oil or mineral rich. There is no major business or industry in these states. The number of educated people is too low to represent a skilled workforce. The states are not located on any large transportation systems, except the areas of Louisiana near the mouth of the Mississippi.
An analysis of the Census child poverty levels shows quite clearly that if the levels in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana dropped to the national average, tens of thousands would be lifted to better economic levels. That is worth contrasting to a state like Connecticut, where the child poverty level is only 12.8%. Connecticut has a healthy tax base and some of the best school systems in the nation. It hardly needs help from the national government to solve its problems. The three Gulf states do.
Child poverty is a regional problem as much as anything else. Unless it is addressed at that level, it will not be improved.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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