Nearly 20 percent of Louisiana residents live below the poverty level in Louisiana, according to new Census Bureau data. Based on 2017-18 data, 19.8 percent of the state’s population is the highest level of those living poverty out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national average is 14.6 percent.
According to Welfareinfo.org, 887,574 of 4,531,570 residents reported income levels below the poverty line in the last year. More women than men are living in poverty in Louisiana. According to the site:
- Children Under 6 in Louisiana have a Poverty Rate of 30.4%.
- Children 6 to 11 Years Old in Louisiana have a Poverty Rate of 28.4%.
- Adolescents 12 to 17 Years Old in Louisiana have a Poverty Rate of 24.3%.
- Adults 18 to 59 Years Old in Louisiana have a Poverty Rate of 18.3%.
- Adults 60 to 74 Years Old in Louisiana have a Poverty Rate of 13.3%.
- 75 to 84 Years Old in Louisiana have a Poverty Rate of 13.0%.
- Over 85 Years Old in Louisiana have a Poverty Rate of 15.3%.
By race, 32.9 percent of Black residents in Louisiana live below the poverty line, followed by 23.1 percent of Hispanics, 15.9 percent of Asians, and 12.1 percent of Caucasians.
Worse still, the state’s poverty rate went up by 0.4 percentage points over the two-year average between 2015-16 (19.4 percent), the Census Bureau reported. By contrast, the national poverty rate declined for the fourth year in a row, according to 2018 Census data.
Nationwide, the median household income stood at $63,179 in 2018, unchanged from 2017, according to the analysis. The share of the U.S. population with health insurance in 2018 was 91.5 percent, compared to 92.1 percent a year earlier, the Census report found.
—
Poverty Rates by State
| State | 2015-2016 Average Poverty Rate | 2017-2018 Average Poverty Rate | Change in % From 2015-2016 to 2017-2018 | Rank Based on 2017-2018 Poverty Rate |
| Louisiana | 19.4 | 19.8 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Mississippi | 20.1 | 19.0 | -1.1 | 2 |
| New Mexico | 18.7 | 18.2 | -0.5 | 3 |
| West Virginia | 16.3 | 16.5 | 0.2 | 4 |
| Alabama | 16.3 | 15.6 | -0.6 | 5 |
| Arkansas | 16.1 | 15.4 | -0.7 | 6 |
| Kentucky | 17.4 | 14.6 | *-2.8 | 7 |
| District of Columbia | 16.5 | 14.3 | *-2.2 | 8 |
| North Carolina | 14.4 | 14.1 | -0.3 | 9 |
| Georgia | 16.8 | 14.0 | *-2.8 | 10 |
| South Carolina | 14.2 | 14.0 | -0.2 | 11 |
| Florida | 14.6 | 13.5 | -1.0 | 12 |
| Texas | 14.3 | 13.4 | -0.8 | 13 |
| Arizona | 16.6 | 13.2 | *-3.4 | 14 |
| Nevada | 11.5 | 13.1 | 1.5 | 15 |
| Oklahoma | 14.4 | 13.1 | -1.2 | 16 |
| Alaska | 10.9 | 12.6 | 1.7 | 17 |
| Ohio | 13.6 | 12.4 | -1.3 | 18 |
| California | 13.9 | 12.0 | *-1.9 | 19 |
| Maine | 12.5 | 12.0 | -0.5 | 20 |
| Missouri | 11.4 | 11.9 | 0.5 | 21 |
| New York | 13.1 | 11.9 | *-1.1 | 22 |
| Tennessee | 14.8 | 11.7 | *-3.1 | 23 |
| Indiana | 12.7 | 11.6 | -1.1 | 24 |
| Idaho | 11.7 | 11.5 | -0.2 | 25 |
| Pennsylvania | 11.7 | 11.4 | -0.4 | 26 |
| Wyoming | 10.3 | 11.2 | 0.9 | 27 |
| North Dakota | 10.9 | 11.1 | 0.2 | 28 |
| Michigan | 11.9 | 11.0 | -1.0 | 29 |
| Nebraska | 9.9 | 11.0 | 1.1 | 30 |
| Illinois | 11.5 | 10.9 | -0.6 | 31 |
| Kansas | 12.7 | 10.9 | -1.8 | 32 |
| South Dakota | 14.2 | 10.7 | *-3.5 | 33 |
| Oregon | 11.8 | 10.6 | -1.2 | 34 |
| Connecticut | 9.5 | 10.4 | 1.0 | 35 |
| Montana | 11.8 | 10.3 | *-1.5 | 36 |
| Rhode Island | 11.6 | 10.1 | -1.5 | 37 |
| Virginia | 11.1 | 10.1 | -1.0 | 38 |
| Massachusetts | 10.6 | 10.0 | -0.6 | 39 |
| Hawaii | 10.1 | 9.9 | -0.2 | 40 |
| Washington | 11.2 | 9.7 | -1.5 | 41 |
| Vermont | 10.2 | 9.2 | -1.0 | 42 |
| New Jersey | 10.3 | 9.1 | -1.2 | 43 |
| Colorado | 9.2 | 9.0 | -0.2 | 44 |
| Wisconsin | 11.1 | 8.9 | *-2.1 | 45 |
| Iowa | 10.1 | 8.2 | *-1.8 | 46 |
| Minnesota | 8.2 | 8.2 | 0.0 | 47 |
| Delaware | 11.3 | 8.1 | *-3.3 | 48 |
| Maryland | 8.4 | 7.8 | -0.6 | 49 |
| Utah | 8.9 | 7.8 | -1.1 | 50 |
| New Hampshire | 6.8 | 6.6 | -0.2 | 51 |
*estimated
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Advertisement
Advertisement
