Georgia
State Government
Governor
Brian Kemp (R)
State Senate
23
Democrats,
33
Republicans
State House
78
Democrats,
102
Republicans
Economic well-being - Georgia
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.1
Minimum wage
7.3
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.3
Poverty rate
12.6%
Unemployment rate
3.4
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
12.0
Poverty by demographic - Georgia
Child poverty rate
0.2
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
29000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
415000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
225000
Senior poverty rate
12.1 %
Women in poverty
5,640,440
Savannah Morning News, December 28, 2014: (Op-Ed) Raise cap on Georgia scholarship program
"If this is the case, the Georgia Legislature can advance an important piece of the middle-class agenda: Increase the annual cap on income tax credits available for contributions to scholarship programs that fund private school options for K-12 students from low- and middle-income families."
Rome News-Tribune, December 22, 2014: Housing development for low-income seniors in the works on Woodrow Wilson Way
"Construction of an 84-unit low-income housing development on Woodrow Wilson Way in West Rome could begin in the spring. Highland Estates, being built by Florence, Alabama-based Gateway Development, will provide new opportunities for low-income senior citizens to take advantage of new, quality housing. The primary occupant on the lease in Highland Estates will have to be at least 55 years of age."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 24, 2014: Poverty rates climbing in Georgia schools
"Student poverty in Gwinnett and across the state, has soared over the past decade, freighting classrooms with hungry, tired and sometimes ill-disciplined students. In 2002, when Oakley moved to Gwinnett, 21 percent of the district's students qualified for free or reduced-price school meals, a common index of poverty. By last year, 55 percent qualified. The suburbs are seeing more of what one local superintendent calls the 'pathologies of poverty,' such as homeless students or those with blurred vision for want of eyeglasses. Students who fall behind can become disruptive, and the wild, unfocused energy can infect a crowded classroom and hinder student achievement."
Charter school's strategy succeeds
"Drew [Charter Junior and Senior Academy] has become a model for achievement among students from low-income backgrounds, putting up test scores competitive with those at schools in the wealthiest neighborhoods. [��_] The 200,000-square-foot Drew Charter Junior and Senior Academy is being built as the result of a $73 million capital campaign. Donations over $1 million came from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, CF Foundation, Chick-fil-A Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Georgia Power Foundation/Southern Company Charitable Foundation, The Kendeda Fund, The Marcus Foundation, Robertson Foundation, O. Wayne Rollins Foundation and Robert W. Woodruff Foundation."
The San Francisco Chronicle, June 03, 2014: Program to provide meals to low-income GA children
"State officials say free meals will be available to eligible children throughout the state over the summer."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 06, 2014: Effects of poverty show up in Georgia's school report card
"Georgia's new system for grading schools is far more complex than the one it replaces. Educators see it as an improvement in gauging performance at schools with high poverty rates."