Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Where is Kentucky child poverty?

23 percent of Kentucky children live in poverty, according to the American Community Survey's most recent three-year average, combining results from 2006, 2007, and 2008. Nationwide, the figure is sharply lower at 18 percent.

However, Kentucky child poverty is distributed very unevenly. The ACS data is also broken down into thirty microdata areas of roughly similar size, including five for Jefferson, two for Fayette, one for Kenton, and the other twenty-two each combining multiple counties.

The highest child poverty rates are found in one part of Jefferson County and in a set of Appalachian counties:

  • 50 percent in western Jefferson
  • 41 percent in Bell, Harlan, Knox, and Whitley combined
  • 38 percent in Breathitt, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Owsley, Perry, and Wolfe combined
  • 33 percent in Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin, and Pike combined
  • 32 percent in Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, Taylor, and Wayne combined
The lowest child poverty is found in other parts of Jefferson County and in relatively suburban areas adjacent to Louisville and Cincinnati:
  • 5 percent in eastern Jefferson
  • 11 percent in Boone, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, and Owen combined
  • 12 percent in central/downtown Jefferson
  • 12 percent in Bullitt, Henry, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble combined
  • 14% in Kenton
Combining its five microdata areas, Jefferson has an overall child poverty rate of 22 percent, slightly below state average. Combining its two areas, Fayette county's overall rate is 21 percent.

A full chart, sorted by poverty rate is below, and the original data was downloaded today from this site.

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