December 27, 2012: The Institute for Southern Studies reports that while Mississippi still has the highest rate of child poverty (31.8%) , the high child poverty rates in the U.S. now include -- in addition to the 14 southern and southwestern states traditionally with that unfortunate record -- 13 states from Rhode Island to Oregon, including California. In a study released earlier this month from First Focus and the Urban Institute, The Recession’s Ongoing Impact on Children, 2012: Indicators of Children’s Economic Well-Being, a prediction of national and state child poverty rates calculated 10 months before the September 2013 info from the U.S. Census Bureau, authors Julia Isaacs and Olivia Healy of the Urban Institute assessed three key economic indicators of children’s well-being — the number of children living with an unemployed parent, the number who rely upon the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the number who live in poverty — and found:
- Children in California are more likely to be living with a parent who has been out of work six months or longer.
- While there has been a decrease in California of the number of children living with an unemployed parent (from 1,158.900 in 2011 to 1,008,100 in 2012), the current figure is an 88% increase over the 535,900 number from pre-recession 2007).
- California children on SNAP (food stamps) has increased 93% between 2007-2012
The 2011 figure of 1,158,900 children living with an unemployed parent, according to KidsCount, Annie E. Casey Foundation, represented 13% of the state's children.
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