Where is child poverty concentrated?
• The child poverty rate has gone up from 18% in 2007 to 19% in 2008 continuing the upward trend in child poverty rates dating back to 2000 (16.2%). • Racial and ethnic disparities in poverty rates persist, particularly among children. In 2007, African American and Hispanic children were twice as likely to live in poverty as non-Hispanic White and Asian children. • Having immigrant parents increases children’s likelihood of living in poverty. An estimated 58% of children with immigrant parents live in a low-income family. • Children with single mothers were more than five times as likely to live in poverty as children living with married parents (42.9% vs. 8.5%). • Single-mother headed households are also more prevalent among African American and Hispanic families contributing to ethnic disparities in poverty. What are the effects of child poverty? • Psychological research has demonstrated that living in poverty has a wide range of negative effects on the physical and mental health and
