Percentage of Minnesota kids in poverty climbs

A new U.S. Census report shows the percentage of Minnesota residents under age 17 growing. The report finds the number grew one full point to 15 percent.

Author:: BMTN Staff
Publish date:: Nov 17, 2011

The number of young Minnesotans under age 18 continues to grow. A new report by the U.S. Census Bureau shows the percentage grew from 14 percent in 2009 to 15 percent last year. That's about 190,000 children living below the poverty line.

That backs up numbers reported previously by MinnPost that show the growing number of children in poverty since 2000, when the rate was still in the single digits.

If there's any good news, it's that Minnesota is among a handful of states with relatively lower child poverty rates. Some states like Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana see a quarter or more of their children in poverty.

And it's not just kids. MPR reported earlier this month that seniors show the fastest increase in poverty for any group, mainly because of out-of-pocket medical expenses.

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New findings from the American Community Survey estimates there are more than 192,000 kids at or below the poverty line. That's up more than 9,000 kids compared to last week's report.

Minnesota is the only state in the nation with a statistically significant rise in the number of uninsured children. Children Defense Fund advocates blame rising insurance premiums.

A look at Minnesota's youngest residents spells change for a state that is overwhelmingly white. Minorities make up 17 percent of Minnesota's population but 30 percent of its preschool-age ranks, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau estimates. In Ramsey County, for the first time, there are more children under 5 of color than there are white children.

According to a U.S. Census report release Wednesday, Minnesota's poverty rates and the rate of uninsured are under the national average. The report also says that household incomes in the state are rising. But the state demographer says the statistics aren't a good reflection of Minnesota because of the small sample size.

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