Poverty in North Carolina

When most people think of poverty, they imagine the dilapidated, war-torn countries of Africa, the squalid red-light districts of India, and the impoverished and repressed people of communist North Korea.  While these places are all very saddening, people do not realize that to see poverty, they need not look far from home.  In fact, poverty has left its mark on the very state in which our school lies.

Poverty rates have been steadily climbing in the last decade, the number in poverty even reaching 1.47 million in 2009.  This number is somewhat alarming when compared to the total population of North Carolina—around 9,400,000.  This means that around 16% of all North Carolinians are considered living in poverty.  North Carolina had the 14^th highest poverty rate in the USA in 2009, and also tied for 13^th in the number of children living in poverty.
 

www.ncruralcenter.org

The number of people living in poverty is widespread across a board of demographics, including race, gender, and age.  There is a visible in recent statistics—the elderly represent the largest portion of those in poverty. Though unmarried women under the age of 65 lead the age demographic, unmarried men, unmarried women, and married couples over the age of 65 are a large part of those in poverty.

www.lcrm.lib.unc.edu

www.sogpubs.unc.edu

As for race, contrary to what many may believe, the white/non-Hispanic demographic has led all other races in percentage in poverty since 1965.  The black demographic has the next-highest percent living poor, though their number has been shrinking gradually.  The Asian/Pacific Islander demographic has always maintained a marginal percent in poverty, while the number of Hispanics living poor has increased steadily. 

www.sogpubs.unc.edu

Interestingly, some argue that the Hispanics have been represented disproportionately in recent years.  Much of the Hispanic population, during periods of rapid growth, immigrated to North Carolina to provide services in fields such as hospitality and construction.  Due to the downturn in both of these fields, the Hispanic community has been hit even harder by unemployment.

www.bluenc.com

Tara Kenchen, chief operating officer of the non-profit N.C. Community Development Initiative, is not surprised by the number of those living in poor, though it might stagger anyone else.  She is unhopeful about the future, gravely predicting that the number that falls to and below the poverty threshold ($22,000 per year for a family of four) will continue to increase in coming years.

However, Kenchen’s prophecy is not the final word on how North Carolina will handle poverty.  History shows that North Carolina has nearly vanquished poverty before.  In 1959, the poverty rate sat at a stunning 40.9%.  Now, the rate is around 16%, though this does not call for relaxation.  Poverty has proven to be cyclical; once efforts to alleviate poverty seem to have done their job, the rate begins to climb again, causing alarm among lawmakers and citizens alike. Only time will tell how the struggle between North Carolina and poverty will end up.


Sources:
-http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/29/708483/in-nc-more-fall-into-poverty.html
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_class
-http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/02/17/993909/tackling-ncs-persistent-poverty.html