Lives of Wisconsin Children Improving
Monday, June 24th, 2013 -- 8:17 AM
-The lives of children in Wisconsin overall are improving as the economy slowly recovers, but many families remain worse off economically than before the financial crisis and economic downturn, according to an annual report that tracks key measures of children's well-being.The Kids Count Data Book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation tracks the most recent data on economic status, education, health and family and community for every state, the District of Columbia and the country.
It ranked Wisconsin 12th in the country overall based on the measures. At the same time, an estimated 237,000 children, almost one in five, in the state lived in poverty in 2011.
That's based on the federal poverty threshold, $23,550 for a family of four this year.
At the same time, the official poverty rate doesn't take into account tax credits and cash transfers, such as food and housing assistance and health care, from government programs to lessen the effects of poverty.
An annual report released last week by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison estimated that 12.2% of the children in the state, or roughly one in eight, live in poverty after taking into account government programs.
That was up from 10.8% in 2010.
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