According to the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) data today released by the US Census Bureau, poverty increased in counties across the state. Selected 2009 county-level estimates are as follows:
Baldwin County – 13.3 percent, up from 9.9 percent in 2008
Blount County – 14.6 percent, up from 13.1 percent in 2008
Calhoun County – 19 percent, up from 17.6 percent in 2008
Cherokee County – 18.4 percent, up from 17.7 percent in 2008
Colbert County – 16 percent, up from 12.7 percent in 2008
Dale County – 16.2 percent, up from 15 percent in 2008
DeKalb County – 21.7 percent, up from 18.7 percent in 2008
Etowah County – 17.2 percent, up from 16.7 percent in 2008
Franklin County – 21.8 percent, up from 19.5 percent in 2008
Hale County – 26.6 percent, up from 26 percent in 2008
Houston County – 17.7 percent, up from 15.1 percent in 2008
Jefferson County – 16.5 percent, up from 13.8 percent in 2008
Lawrence County – 16.2 percent, up from 15 percent in 2008
Limestone County – 13.5 percent, up from 12.1 percent in 2008
Madison County – 10.3 percent, down from 11.3 percent in 2008
Mobile County – 18.7 percent, up from 18.6 percent in 2008
Morgan County – 15.9 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2008
Pickens County – 28 percent, up from 25.6 percent in 2008
Shelby County – 6.9 percent, up from 5.8 percent in 2008
St. Clair County –13.8 percent, up from 12.6 percent in 2008
Tuscaloosa County – 19.9 percent, up from 17.3 percent in 2008
Walker County – 16 percent, down from 17.4 percent in 2008
The 2009 poverty line is just $22,050 per year for a family of four.
“We knew that the recession hit Alabama hard and deep. This new data helps us paint a picture of where poverty has increased the most, and where the needs are the greatest,” said Kristina Scott, executive director of the Alabama Poverty Project.
Alabama is the ninth poorest state in the country, with a statewide poverty rate of 16.6 percent, according to Census Bureau estimates.
It is also the hungriest state in the nation, with 6.8 percent of Alabama households experiencing hunger over the past three years because they couldn’t afford enough food, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
As of September 2010, 849,785, or approximately 18 percent, of Alabamians participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), according to the Food Research and Action Center and the USDA.
“Alabamians are hurting this holiday season. In order to eliminate poverty and hunger, we need to deepen our commitment by both helping meet short-term needs and supporting long-term policy solutions to grow and protect the middle class,” said Scott.