County Snapshots show many North Carolinians are being left out of a growing economy
“In 2015, 16.4 percent of North Carolinians lived below the federal poverty level, just $24,500 for a family of four. For children, that rate was much higher, with more than 23 percent experiencing poverty. The states median wage is $15.91 per hour, a 15 cent decrease since the recovery began after adjusting for inflation. And while the value of wages has decreased, expenses such as rent have gone up. Today, rent is unaffordable for more than 50 percent of renters in the state. While there is cause for concern, there are also areas where North Carolina is seeing small improvements. The percentage of adults with college degrees has seen a slight increase in the past year up to 28.4 percent. Additionally, North Carolinians have benefited from the national increase in access to healthcare. In 2015, 93,500 more North Carolinians were insured than they were the previous year.”