Data On Your Community

National poverty and income data based on an alternative measure, which uses recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences.

Data provided in the 2005-2007 American Community Survey (ACS) are based on figures collected between January 2005 and December 2007. Unlike the annual ACS data, this report provides figures for areas with populations of 20,000 or more.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Center provides an annual assessment of the rate of poverty for children and families in America. The web site provides child well-being figures using several indicators such as health, education, income, family stability and violence. The Data Center offers information for states, cities, counties and school districts.

The State of America's Children 2010 compiles the most recent and reliable national and state-level data on a variety of indicators such as poverty, health, education nutrition and housing. Among the findings, the data illustrates that in the past year, the number of poor children has increased by nearly 2.5 million since 2000 for 14.1 million, with almost half living in extreme poverty.

The vast majority of America’s homeless children – 75 percent – reside in just 11 states, according to this report from the National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH). America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness follows up on a study released by NCFH 12 years ago and finds that the problem of child homelessness is getting worse. The Report Card takes a state-by-state look at the extent of child homelessness, well-being, risk factors and state policy efforts.

This report is a side-by-side comparison of wages and rents in every county, metropolitan area, combined nonmetropolitan area and state in the United States. For each jurisdiction, the report calculates the amount of money a household must earn in order to afford a rental unit in a range of sizes at the area’s Fair Market Rent (FMR), based on the generally accepted affordability standard of paying no more than 30% of income for housing costs. From these calculations the hourly wage a worker must earn to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom home is derived--this figure is the "housing wage."

The vast majority of America’s homeless children – 75 percent – reside in just 11 states, according to this report from the National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH). America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness follows up on a study released by NCFH 12 years ago and finds that the problem of child homelessness is getting worse. The Report Card takes a state-by-state look at the extent of child homelessness, well-being, risk factors and state policy efforts.

The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) scorecard measures the success of state policies in promoting asset building for low-income families. The Assets and Opportunity Scorecard evaluates all 50 states and the District of Columbia in six key areas: financial assets and income, business development, homeownership, health care, and education. CFED also also includes a state-by-state examination of 12 policy priorities, such as homebuyer assistance and payday lending protections, that can help residents build and protect their assets.

This tool from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service assess how food choices and diet quality are affected by a community’s environmental, economic and social characteristics. The Food Environment Atlas provides local- and state-level data across 90 indicators, including income and poverty, metro-nonmetro status, number of grocery stores, and rate of participation in food and nutrition assistance programs. Among the various functions of The Atlas is the ability for users to map out variations of a single indicator in communities across the country.

The Sargent Shriver Center National Center on Poverty Law released the 2011 edition of the Poverty Scorecard, which grades Members of Congress on the most important poverty-related votes of the year. This year’s scorecard identifies the 11 Senate votes and 18 House votes that were the most significant to people living in poverty.

The Sargent Shriver Center National Center on Poverty Law released the 2010 edition of the poverty scorecard, which grades Members of Congress on the most important poverty-related votes of the year. This year’s scorecard includes 14 Senate votes and 16 House votes, identified by national experts, which were the most significant in reducing poverty and expanding opportunity.

Half in Ten developed interactive maps to show poverty data by state and congressional district. The map shows both the poverty rate and number of people living in poverty for each state as well as each congressional district, breaking statistics down by race, gender, and age.

This annual poll from the Northwest Area Foundation examines the public's perception of poverty in America. The survey was conducted among 4,004 Americans age 18 and older, from June 18 -- July 13, 2009. The survey provides national figures, as well as sate-level data for eight states: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

This annual scorecard from the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law rates all Members of Congress based on how they voted on anti-poverty legislation in 2008. The 22 bills selected cover a wide range of issue areas, such as affordable housing, homelessness, labor, employment, health care, higher education and veterans.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity does not support or oppose any candidate for public office and does not take positions on legislation.

In November 2010, The American Human Development Project released the second human development index for an industrialized nation. The Measure of America 2010-2011: Mapping Risks and Resilience is modeled on the United Nations Development Programme's worldwide Human Development Report. The report measures health, access to education and standard of living, and also breaks down results by state, congressional district, gender, race and ethnicity.