Tulsa World, August 29, 2007: Poverty rate growing in state, Census report says
by: DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer
At least 537,000 Oklahomans lived in poverty last year, a number that is growing despite a national trend to the contrary, according to information released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey found that 15.4 percent of Oklahomans lived in poverty over the two-year period of 2005 and 2006.
That’s an increase of 2.2 percent from the 13.2 percent found to be living in poverty in 2004-05, which itself was a jump from 11.8 percent in 2003-04.
The figures translates to 537,000 Oklahomans living in poverty for the period 2005-06, the survey reports.
A separate Census report released Tuesday put the number of Oklahomans in poverty in 2006 at 587,591, or 17 percent of the state’s residents.
A U.S. Census Bureau Web site explained the discrepancies with factors such as sample size, the amount and detail of the questions and the time frame involved
David Blatt, director of public policy for the Community Action Project, a Tulsa-based anti-poverty agency, said whichever number you use, too many Oklahomans are living in want.
“The phenomenon is real,” Blatt said. “A substantial number of Oklahomans are struggling to meet their basic needs.”
A spokesman for Gov. Brad Henry agreed that the numbers were troubling.
“No matter what the size, any increase in the poverty rate is disturbing,” said Paul Sund. ”Unfortunately for Oklahoma and the rest of the country, this is a complex, long-term challenge that doesn’t lend itself to overnight, quick fix solutions.
“Gov. Henry has tried to address the problem by advocating policies to help all Oklahomans through better education programs, more affordable and accessible health care and greater economic opportunities, among other things. Oklahoma has made some progress in these areas, but there is much, much more work to be done.”
Howard Hendrick, director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, also said the poverty increase in the state is disturbing.
”Our response to the food and health needs of the growing number of persons living in poverty has been to be sure that as many of the persons who are eligible actually participate in the programs designed to meet their needs,” Hendrick said.
At the same time that the number of Oklahomans in poverty is going up, a separate federal study released earlier this year shows that the state’s total income is rising faster than the national average, Hendrick said.
”What this means is that gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ in Oklahoma is widening at a faster rate than it is nationally,” he said.
Blatt said Tuesday’s reports “should sound the alarm that our economy, while continuing to show signs of overall strength, is leaving far too many Oklahomans behind.”
Nationally, the Census Bureau reported that the poverty level fell from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 12.3 percent in 2006.
There were 36.5 million people living in poverty in the United States in 2006, according to one of the reports.
Oklahoma tied with Kentucky for the seventh highest percentage of population living below the poverty level.
Median household income in Oklahoma in 2006 was $38,276, which is 21 percent below the national median household income.
The bureau also released data Tuesday on health insurance coverage revealing that about 650,000 Oklahomans were without health insurance for the period from 2004-06.
That number is down slightly from 2003-05 levels, but still leaves Oklahoma with the sixth highest rate of uninsured people in that nation.
“Being without health insurance leaves families one medical emergency away from falling into poverty,” Blatt noted.
A Census study shows Oklahoma was ranked 48th in the nation in 2006 in median family income, dropping from 46th in the nation in 2005.
However, those rankings do not take into account cost of living, which can be influenced by housing, food and transportation costs among other things.
Oklahoma poverty by the numbers
$20,614
The inflation-adjusted, weighted average federal poverty thresholds for 2006 for a family of four.
537,000 to 587,591
Number of Oklahomans living in poverty in 2006
415,600
Number of Oklahomans who received food stamps in July
$21
Average weekly food stamp benefit per person.
Selected county poverty levels, 2006
Oklahoma County …………………… 22.1%
Creek …………………………………… 21.1%
Muskogee ……………………………… 18.4%
Pottawatomie ………………………… 18.4%
Comanche ……………………………… 17.4%
Tulsa ……………………………………… 16.2%
Wagoner ………………………………… 14.6%
Cleveland ……………………………… 13.8%
Rogers …………………………………… 10.4%
Canadian……………………………………7.1%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Tulsa World