Population Health Update September 2009
August 2008
Chronic
Built Social
Disease
Environment Determinants & Lifestyles
The social determinants in its many forms: poverty, education, jobs, housing, race and so on, drives much of what we do in
health care. Collaborative efforts to improve access, affordability and outcomes with local partners such as Community Action
Partnership, Social Welfare Board, Northwest Health, United Way, Public Health, Family Guidance, Schools, Universities,
Local Government, Chamber and many more is our best hope. Here are the most recent national and local poverty data and its
population health impact. “The only population health risk more harmful than tobacco/obesity is being poor.”
Poverty is… Hunger Poverty is… Housing and Energy
Children who are undernourished are at greater risk for Homeless children are far more likely to suffer chronic
serious health, social and educational problems. health problems, repeat a grade in school, and drop out
of high school. Low-income families pay an average of
Food insufficiency – often caused by missing breakfast –
46% of their income just for housing and energy.
diminishes a child’s ability to retain knowledge,
concentrate, and develop language and math skills. Economic and Family Security
Low-income and fixed-income older Americans are 781,842 Missourians live in poverty
often hard-pressed to pay their bills. Many are frequently 263,484 of them are children
forced to limit their food intake to compensate for costs Poverty is…
of housing, heat and most especially medicine. “The unrelenting stress of keeping a family sheltered,
The regular costs of living consume a substantial clothed and fed… and hoping desperately to finally get a
percentage of a low-income working family’s budget; full week’s paycheck before the baby gets sick or the car
for example, poor and working poor families may pay as breaks down… and choosing which bills to pay this
much as 40 to 50 percent of their household income for month. It’s an exhausting day-to-day struggle without
housing and utility costs. Additionally, many working relief that robs body and soul.”
poor families are employed in the service and retail (Missouri Association of Community Action)
sectors, which typically do not provide health care or
National Trends from Coalition on Human Needs
retirement benefits, and whose hours sometimes make it
difficult for potential beneficiaries to find the time (and More Poor, More Uninsured in 2008
often transportation) to get to a government or charity
The number of poor people is the highest it has been
office to apply for benefits.
since 1960. There were 39.8 million poor people in the
Poverty is…Health U.S. in 2008, 2.5 million more poor in just one year. The
Between 2007 and 2008, the number of people covered poverty rate, 13.2 percent, is the highest since 1997.
by private health insurance decreased from 202 million
Children remain disproportionately poor. Nineteen
to 201 million, while the number covered by government
percent of all children were poor in 2008, up from 18
health insurance climbed from 83 million to 87.4
percent in 2007. The number of poor children increased
million. The number covered by employment-based
by nearly 750,000 in one year.
health insurance declined from 177.4 million to 176.3
million. Child poverty is becoming more harsh. Nearly 6.3
million children were living below half the federal
The number of uninsured people in Missouri rose to
poverty line in 2008, or 8.5 percent of all children. For a
772, 000 in 2007
family of three, the poverty line was $17,163; half that is
Poverty is…Education only $8,581. In 2007, 7.8 percent of children were so
Approximately 19,300 students did not graduate from deeply poor; in 2000, 6.4 percent.
Missouri’s high schools in 2007. The lost lifetime
With far more unemployed this year, poverty is likely
earnings in Missouri for that class of dropouts alone are
to be worse in 2009 than the 2008 data show. In 2008,
more than $5 billion.
unemployment averaged 5.8 percent. The Economic
Policy Institute assumed an average 2009 unemployment
rate of 9.3 percent, and based on that projects total
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2007 Poverty Information
poverty in 2009 at 14.7 percent (up from 13.2 percent in County All Ages Age 0 – 17 Age 5 - 17
# of Poverty # of Poverty # of Poverty
2008). High unemployment will take a disproportionate
People Pate People Rate People Rate
toll on children and African Americans, whose poverty Andrew 1,390 8.4 444 11.3 295 10.1
rates for 2009 are estimated to climb to 25 percent and Buchanan 12,464 15.2 4,025 20.2 2,554 18.2
30.4 percent, respectively. Clinton 1,895 9.3 649 13.1 413 11.5
DeKalb 1,387 16.0 315 14.9 202 12.9
Poverty Continues to be higher for racial and ethnic Rpt Area 172136 13.4 5,433 17.6 3,464 15.6
minorities. In 2008, nearly one in four African Statewide 758,844 13.3 257,403 18.4 160,841 16.0
Americans were poor (24.6 percent). More than one-
third of African American children lived in poverty County Labor Employment Un- Un-
Force employment employment
(33.9 percent). The poverty rate for Hispanics was 23.2 Rate
percent (for Hispanic children, 30.6 percent). For Asian Andrew 10,361 9,533 828 8.0
Americans the poverty rate was 11.6 percent (13.3 Buchanan 49,262 44,882 4,380 8.9
percent of Asian American children were poor). For non- Clinton 10,438 9,504 934 8.9
Hispanic whites, the poverty rate was 8.6 percent (10.6 DeKalb 5,341 4,853 488 9.1
percent of non-Hispanic white children lived in poverty.) Rpt Area 75,402 68,772 6,630 8.8
Statewide 3,052,784 2,762,514 290,270 9.5
The number of people with out health insurance
Housing: Foreclosures
continues to grow. There were 46.3 million uninsured
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
people in 2008, up from nearly 45.7 million the year
estimates a total of 1,217 houses were in foreclosure in the
before. In 2000, 13.7 percent Americans were uninsured.
report area during the 18-month period starting January
Fewer and fewer people get insurance through work. 2007. The average foreclosure rate for the report area was
In 2000, 64.2 percent had health coverage through their 4.55%, compared to the average statewide rate of 4.02%.
employers. In 2008, only 58.5 percent had insurance Buchanan County had the highest foreclosure rate at 4.81%,
through work. The proportion of uninsured working 18- while Andrew County had the lowest foreclosure rate, which
64 year olds rose from 18.1 percent in 2007 to 18.7 was 3.44%.
percent in 2008.
Foreclosures, Janmuary 2007 – June 2008
Local Trends: Poverty Rate Change County Estimated Estimated Estimated
# of # of Foreclosure
To keep this report brief only 4 nearby counties are Mortgages Foreclosures Rate (%)
profiled. Poverty rate change in the 4 county report area Andrew 3,398 117 3.44
Buchanan 17,016 819 4.81
from 2000 to 2007 is shown. According to the U.S. Clinton 5,062 226 4.46
Census, the poverty rate for the 4 county area increased DeKalb 1,257 55 4.38
by 2.45%, compared to a statewide increased of 2.7%. Rpt Area 26,733 1,217 4.55
Buchanan County experienced the greatest change in Statewide 1,297,577 52,185 4.02
poverty, increasing by 3.2% from 2000-20007 and
Employment: Living Wage
Andrew County experienced the least amount of change,
The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual
increasing by 0.58%.
must earn to support their family, if they are the sole
Change in Poverty Rate, 2000 - 2007 provider and are working full-time (2080 hours/yr). The
County Persons Poverty Persons Poverty Change living wage for a family of four for the 4 county report area
in Rate, in Rate, in
Poverty, 2000 Poverty, 2007 Poverty
ranges from $23.36 in DeKalb County to $29.53 in Clinton
2000 2007 Rate, County. The Minimum Hourly Wage for Missouri is $7.25.
2000-
County Hourly Living Wage, 2008
2007
County One One Two Two Two
Andrew 1,288 7.8 1,390 8.4 0.58
Adult Adult, Adults Adults, Adults,
Buchanan 9,800 12.0 12.464 15.2 3.20
One One Two
Clinton 1,545 8.1 1,895 9.3 1.71 Child Child Children
DeKalb 1,194 13.5 1,387 16.0 2.44 Andrew 7.84 16.35 12.81 21.33 28.24
Rpt Area 13,827 11.0 17,136 13.4 2.45 Buchanan 7.76 16.16 12.66 21.06 27.88
Statewide 581,212 10.6 758,844 13.3 2.74 Clinton 9.18 17.58 14.16 22.56 29.53
DeKalb 6.87 13.75 10.96 17.81 23.36
Rpt Area 7.91 15.96 12.65 20.69 27.25
Statewide 7.39 14.87 11.80 19.28 25.33
Sources: 1) Community Action Partnership (CAP) St Joseph, 2) Coalition on Human Needs, 3) U.S. Census (SAIPE)
June 2009 Employment/Unemployment Information
Special Thanks to Dave Leland, Director, CAP
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