Iowa
State Government
Governor
Kim Reynolds (R)
State Senate
16
Democrats,
34
Republicans
State House
36
Democrats,
64
Republicans
Economic well-being - Iowa
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
11.3%
Unemployment rate
3.8
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
5.4
The Des Moines Register, September 28, 2012: More Iowa schools underperforming under federal standards
"Davenport schools Superintendent Art Tate said the federal labels don't help the district because the performance goals are not realistic. The district has instead focused on closing the achievement gap among minority students. Last year produced mixed results: Latinos fell behind in reading and math, while black students showed improvement. Iowa schools, particularly those in urban districts, all are working against the grinding force of poverty, he said."
Des Moines Register, September 26, 2012: (Editorial) Can't we find a better way to feed school kids?
"States receive federal money to feed senior citizens lunch. These programs require no proof of income, meaning an older person can pull up to a senior center in a Cadillac and eat a hot, nutritious meal for free. No questions asked. Yet feeding school children means embarrassing low-income families and forcing schools to try to collect on debts."
Des Moines Register, August 30, 2012: (Op-Ed) Support needed for students living in poverty
"According to the latest data provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count program, the percent of young people in Des Moines under age 18 who are living in poverty has reached 27 percent. The percent statewide has also grown over the past five years. This means that at least one out of every three students we serve in Des Moines schools is living in poverty. As the adults who spend a majority of our time with these children, it is incumbent upon us to take a stand for these young people."
Des Moines Register, August 27, 2012: Work on Franklin Field senior housing to start
"Work on the long-planned Franklin Field senior housing complex, which will add low-income housing for senior citizens in the Waveland Park neighborhood, is expected to begin by fall."
Des Moines Register, April 16, 2012: Students at Grinnell lend hand to needy locals
"Philipp and fellow Grinnell College students Noah Most and Kathy Andersen instead spent the previous 59 minutes passionately talking about how they help local folks who are broke and have nowhere to turn."
Des Moines Register, March 11, 2012: (Op-Ed) What education reform misses: A big share of kids are in poverty
"Iowa has always seen itself as a Norman Rockwell-poster kind of place, comfortably middle class with no extremes of wealth or poverty. That ideal is rapidly fading.The official rate of poverty in Iowa remains below the national average. It was 12.6 percent in 2010, compared to the national rate of 15.3. But the Iowa rate has been rising faster than the national rate. If the trend continues, Iowa will soon match or surpass the national average in poverty."