The U.S. Census Bureau released new data today showing 18.7% of individuals and 27.0% of children under the age of 18 in Arizona lived in poverty in 2012. Both figures are essentially the same from 2011, where 19.0% of individuals and 27.2% of children lived in poverty. In 2012, Arizona ranked 8th in both highest percentage of individuals living in poverty and highest percentage of children living in poverty in the U.S.
“While the recession may be over for the economists, it has not ended for those Arizona families continuing to struggle with hunger and poverty,” says Angie Rodgers, president and CEO of the Association of Arizona Food Banks. “For many of those families, not being able to find employment that pays a living wage, or for some, any employment at all – coupled with potential SNAP (Food Stamp) cuts that would remove an estimated 125,000 Arizonans from the program – severely limits their ability to emerge from poverty.”
While the 2012 Arizona poverty rate is essentially unchanged from 2011, it still represents a 30.8% increase over the pre-recession 2007 poverty level of 14.3%. Nationwide, 15.9% of individuals and 22.6% of children under the age of 18 lived in poverty in 2012. Federal Poverty Level (FPL) guidelines in 2012 were set at an annual gross income of $23,050 for a family of four.
The Census poverty figures align with recent food insecurity data published by Feeding America and food hardship data published by the Food Research and Action Center, all of which paint the same picture: In Arizona, one in five individuals and one in four of our children struggle with hunger and poverty. These figures have not changed significantly since the recession began in 2008.
Looming SNAP (Food Stamp) cuts being voted on in the House of Representatives will play a large role in determining how Arizona is able to lift its residents out of poverty. According to the Census, 4 million Americans were lifted out of poverty in 2012 if SNAP benefits were counted as income. Cuts to SNAP will adversely affect the program’s ability to continue to do so, and will place even greater stress on an already taxed food bank and charity network. Over 1.1 million Arizonans currently receive SNAP benefits, with half of them being children under the age of 18.
Most Arizona Counties treaded water in 2012, seeing slight, non-statistically significant decreases in poverty if they saw one at all. Apache (33.2%), Navajo (30.7%) and Coconino Counties (26.0%) again had the highest levels of poverty in 2012. Yavapai (14.3%), Pinal (17.0%) and Maricopa Counties (17.5%) had the lowest levels of poverty in 2012. In Pima County, 20.0% of individuals lived in poverty in 2012, while in Yuma County, 21.6% of individuals lived in poverty in 2012.
By Arizona metropolitan area poverty rates, Tucson (26.7%), Flagstaff (26.2%) and Phoenix (24.1%) had the highest levels of poverty in 2012. Gilbert (6.9%), Goodyear (7.3%) and Peoria (9.0%) had the lowest levels.
Unfortunately, children live in poverty in disproportionate numbers when compared to the general population, and no statistically significant improvements were seen in the 2012 numbers. By percentage of children under of the age of 18, Apache (40.9%), Navajo (38.4%) and Coconino Counties (34.5%) had the highest child poverty rates. By comparison, 25.5% of children in Maricopa County lived in poverty in 2012, while in Pima County, 29.2% of children lived in poverty in 2012. Research shows children living in poverty are more likely to suffer from food insecurity and health related diseases such as obesity, while also struggling in school academically and behaviorally.
Detailed 2012 poverty data for various Arizona Counties and metropolitan areas, as well as the state itself, and population types can be found here. Note that three- and five-year Census poverty estimates are considered more statistically reliable than one-year ones. The Census will release the three-year data sets comprising 2010-12 on October 24 and the five-year data sets comprising 2008-12 on December 5.
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