Oklahoma's Poverty Rate Continues To Climb

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ While the nation's poverty rate dropped, the number of Oklahomans living below the poverty line continued to climb, newly released statistics show. <br/><br/>The number of Oklahomans

Tuesday, August 28th 2007, 6:25 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ While the nation's poverty rate dropped, the number of Oklahomans living below the poverty line continued to climb, newly released statistics show.

The number of Oklahomans living in poverty in 2006 reached 17%, tying Oklahoma with Kentucky for the seventh-highest rate in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey figures released on Tuesday.

The study showed 587,591 Oklahomans were estimated with income below the poverty level, which in 2006 was $20,000 annually for a family of four.

``I don't think there is an obvious or immediate answer as to why Oklahoma is moving in the opposite direction, particularly when we know the economy is doing well,'' said David Blatt, director of public policy for Tulsa's Community Action Project, an anti-poverty agency.

``I think it does point to the fact that the benefits of the strong economy have not been evenly distributed, and that many people have been left out.''

Mississippi had the highest percentage of its population living in poverty, (21.1%), followed by the District of Columbia (19.6%), Louisiana (19%), New Mexico (18.5%), and Arkansas and West Virginia (both 17.3%).

In 2005, the same study showed Oklahoma ranked tenth in the nation, with 16.5% of its residents living in poverty. The number was 15.3% in 2004.

``Without question, poverty remains a problem in Oklahoma,'' Blatt said. ``Perhaps these numbers may tend to overstate the ebb and flow from year to year, but I think that anybody that works in the social service area will tell you there's a large number of the population struggling to make ends meet and stay above the water from month to month.''

Congress' decision to increase the minimum wage likely will provide some benefit to Oklahomans working in low-wage jobs, but the latest figures released by the Census Bureau were tabulated before the increase took effect.

``If anything, part of what we may be seeing is the remnant of the failure to raise the minimum wage for so many years,'' Blatt said.

The first minimum wage increase took effect this summer, hiking the rate from $5.15 per hour to $5.85 per hour. In 2008, the rate will increase to $6.55, followed by a final hike to $7.25 per hour in 2009.

Oklahoma's median household income equaled $38,770 in 2006, which represents a 1.3% increase from 2005, but the state's median income is still just 80% of the nation's $48,451 median household income, the study shows.

According to the study, the greatest median household income growth rates between 2005 and 2006 occurred in Payne County (25.2%), Broken Arrow (12.1%) and Edmond (10.5%).

Blatt said the figures underscore the importance of focusing on job training and work force development, while also maintaining social services that help poor Oklahomans.

``The reality for lots of families is that their earned income just doesn't meet their needs,'' Blatt said. ``They're either not getting by or relying on the social safety net to bridge the gap.''