Recovery or Bust: Georgia s Poor Left Behind Melissa Johnson March 4,

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1 Recovery or Bust: Georgia s Poor Left Behind Melissa Johnson March 4,

2 50 th Anniversary of the War on Poverty in

3 Why are Georgia s Poor Increasing in Number? 3

4 Agenda Who Georgia s Poor Are and Where they Live Challenges Georgia s Poor Face 4

5 Big Gap Between Poverty and Meeting Basic Needs $5,000 $4,500 $4,000 $3,500 $3,000 $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $- Taxes Other Necessities Health Care Transportation Child Care Food Housing Basic Needs Poverty Line: $1540 per month *Based on monthly expenses for a family of three in Atlanta. 5

6 DEMOGRAPHICS 6

7 Nearly One Out of Five Georgians Lives in Poverty Georgia is the sixth poorest state, at a rate of 19.2% Metro Atlanta Poverty Rate: 16.6% Georgia is the sixth worst state for child poverty, at a rate of 27.2% Metro Atlanta Child Poverty Rate: 23.7% 7

8 Single Moms Most Common Type of Family in Poverty Single Fathers* 7% Other Married Couples 10% Data for Metro Atlanta Other 10% Single Mothers* 48% Married Couples with Children 25% *Single fathers and mothers used to represent male and female heads of household raising related children under 18. 8

9 Children in Poverty More Likely to Be Under 12 Data for Metro Atlanta 15 years 4% 71% of Children in Poverty Are Under and 17 years 9% 12 to 14 years 15% 5 years 6% Under 5 30% 6 to 11 years 35% 15 years 6% 16 and 17 years 11% 12 to 14 years 18%...Compared to 64% of Children Not in Poverty 5 years 6% Under 5 25% 6 to 11 years 33% 9

10 Poverty Touches All Races in Metro Atlanta Some other race alone 8% Asian alone 1% 4% 3% White alone 38% Black or African American alone 46% Two or more races American Indian and Alaska Native alone Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 10

11 Metro Atlantans in Poverty Less Likely to Achieve Higher Education 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% (Educational Attainment by Poverty Level for Population Age 25 and Over) 27.8% 9.6% 33.1% 23.1% Less than high school High school graduate Metro Atlantans in Poverty 25.6% 28.5% Some college, associate's degree Metro Atlantans Not in Poverty 13.5% 38.8% Bachelor's degree or higher 11

12 Poor Working Age Metro Atlantans Less Likely to Have Health Coverage 60.0% 53.0% 40.0% 20.0% 15.7% 19.9% 0.0% 7.5% 3.1% 1.4% Under 18 Aged 18 to and Over Uninsured Rate in Poverty Uninsured Rate Above Poverty 12

13 Women Overrepresented Among Poor Seniors Women Outnumber Men Among Seniors Data for Metro Atlanta...But Women are the Supermajority Among Poor Seniors Male 43% Female 57% Male 30% Female 70% 13

14 Poverty on the Rise in Georgia, But Faster in the Suburbs 30.0% 25.0% 22.6% 26.5% 26.4% 22.6% 23.3% 20.0% 15.0% 14.1% 15.7% 17.3% 10.0% 8.1% 5.0% 0.0% Suburbs Cities Rural Areas

15 CHALLENGES 15

16 Lower Wages, Increased Part-Time Work, and Elevated Long-Term Unemployment Plague the Poor 25.0% 20.0% (Change in Poor Working Population Age 16 to 64, ) 20.3% 15.0% 10.0% 7.9% 5.0% 4.2% 0.0% Worked Full-Time Year Round Worked Part-Time, Year Round Did not work 16

17 Poor Nonworking Georgians Deal With Barriers to Work 17

18 More Than 94,000 Poor Georgia Children Not Served by Child Care and Early Education Programs Georgia Head Start (including Early Head Start) 29,000 Children Under 6 Served by GA CAPS 34,000 Low-Income Children Served by GA Pre-K 48,000 Poor Children Under 5 Not Receiving Public Supported Early Ed. 94,000 18

19 Low-Income Students Achieve Reading and Math Proficiency at Lower Levels 70% 60% 50% 62% 62% 48% 47% 40% 30% 20% 25% 20% 25% 17% 10% 0% Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency Eighth-Grade Reading Proficiency Fourth-Grade Math Proficiency Eighth-Grade Math Proficiency Low-Income Georgia Students (eligible for F&R Price Lunch) Georgia Students Not Eligible for F&R Price Lunch 19

20 Lower Educational Attainment Keeps Georgians Closer to Poverty Line $60,000 $50,000 Median Salary by Educational Attainment (Poverty Line for a Family of Three) $51,979 (284% of FPL) $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $20,925 (114% of FPL) $27,706 (152% of FPL) $29,453 (161% of FPL) $10,000 $- Less than High School High School Some College Bachelor's or Higher 20

21 Lack of Public Transportation also a Barrier to Work for the Poor Low-Income Georgians More Dependent on Public Transportation Share of People Using Public Transit for Work Commute by Income Level < $10 K 25% $10 K to $15K 14% $15K to $25K 22% $50K to $65K 6% $65K to $75K 2% > $75K 8% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 21

22 Limited Public Transportation Options Makes Jobs Less Accessible Accessibility of Jobs Via Mass Transit (in 90 minutes or less) 25.1% 10.4% Atlanta City jobs Suburban jobs 22

23 Many Low-Income City Residents Stressed by Rental Costs (Share of Renters Earning Less than $20,000 and Spending 30% or More of Income on Housing) Augusta Columbus Savannah Atlanta 32% 22% 32% 27% 23

24 Mobile Homes Much More Prevalent in Rural Areas and Small Towns 30.0% 26.7% 25.0% 21.8% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 7.1% 5.0% 0.0% 2.3% Cities Suburbs Small towns Rural areas 24

25 Low-Income Georgians More Likely to Go Without Health Care 70% 66% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 36% 40% 10% 0% 6% Went Without Care Because of Cost (2011 Data) High-Income Georgians Did Not Receive Recommended Preventive Care (At age 50 and Over) (2010 Data) Low-Income Georgians 25

26 Low-Income Georgians More Likely to Have Negative Health Outcomes 60% 50% 48% 40% 37% 30% 20% 26% 23% 10% 0% Obesity (2011 Data) Poor Physical or Mental Health, or Activity Limitations (2011 Data) High-Income Georgians Low-Income Georgians

27 Conclusion: Opportunity in the Face of Challenge 27

28 LET S STAY CONNECTED. Please sign up for our alerts, subscribe to our blog, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Melissa Johnson, Policy Analyst mjohnson@gpbi.org