Community Assessment Data
A Guide to Understanding the Well-Being of Children & Families in Erie County, Pennsylvania

Children Under Age 18 in Poverty

CHARTS

Children Under Age 18 in Poverty for 2000 by Municipality

White Children in Poverty for 2000 - City of Erie Census Tracts

Black Children in Poverty for 2000 - City of Erie Census Tracts

Hispanic Children in Poverty for 2000 - City of Erie Census Tracts


MEASUREMENT

Figures are sampling counts from the SF 3 file, tables P87 and P159A-P159I of the 2000 Census. Comparisons are made to figures from table P119-P120 of the STF 3 file of the 1990 Census. The percentage of children in poverty is the number of children in poverty divided by the number of children and multiplied by 100.

DESCRIPTION

The percentage of children living in poverty is perhaps the most widely used indicator of child well-being. This is due, in part, to the fact that poverty is closely linked to a large number of undesirable outcomes in areas such as health, education, emotional well-being, and delinquency.¹ Classification below the poverty level occurs if the total income was less than the poverty guideline specified for the applicable family or household size. For families of three, the poverty level, as determined by health and Human Services, in 1999 was $13,880.² In 2002, the poverty guideline for a family of three was $15,020.³

DATA ANALYSIS

• Both Erie County and the city of Erie had larger declines in child poverty than either the United States or Pennsylvania between 1989 and 1999. The declines were 9.3% for the U.S., 6.4% for Pennsylvania, 11.0% for Erie County and 10.2% for the City of Erie.
• Although the percentage of children living in poverty generally declined between 1989 and 1999, when compared to the 1979 rates, the Pennsylvania number of kids in poverty is 5.8% higher. The numbers are 25.6% and 41.2% higher than the 1979 proportions for Erie County and the City of Erie respectively.
• Conneaut, Corry, Erie city, North East Borough, Platea, Union City and Wattsburg had higher percentages of child poverty than the nation.
• Generally, the percentage of children under the age of six in poverty is higher than that of those under age 18. The percentage of children under the age of six living in poverty in 1999 is 18.1% for the U.S., 16.2% for Pennsylvania, 18.2% for Erie County and 28.2% for the City of Erie.
• In the United States in 1999, 5.6% of the population lives with income below half of the poverty level. Even though the census does not differentiate this information by age, they are included in the figures. The Erie County percentage of 5.4% is below the 5.6% for the U.S. and higher than the 5.3% for Pennsylvania, but the rate of 8.8% for the City of Erie is much higher.
• Not surprisingly, there are differences in percentages of those in poverty by race. Dissecting the 16.2% proportion for Erie County shows that, for Non-Hispanic Whites, the percentage is 11.4% while it rises to 46.6% for Blacks and 41.8% for hispanics. Similarly, the City of Erie proportions are 17.1% for Non-Hispanic Whites, 47.9% for Blacks and 46.5% for Hispanics.
• For those under age six, the racial differences are similar. For Erie County, 12.5% of Non-Hispanic White, 55.0% of Black and 41.9% of Hispanic children under age six live in poverty. The City of Erie proportions are 16.7% for Non-Hispanic whites, 55.1% for Blacks and 46.5% for Hispanics.

FOOTNOTE

¹ Moore, K.A. & Redd, Z. (November 2002) Children in Poverty: Trends, Consequences, and Policy Options (Child Trends Research Brief, Publication No. 2002-54). Washington D.C.: Child Trends.
² Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines, 64 Fed. Reg. 13428-13430 (March 18, 1999).
³ Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines, 67 Fed. Reg. 6931-6933 (February 14, 2002).