Massachusetts
State Government
Governor
Maura Healey (D)
State Senate
36
Democrats,
4
Republicans
State House
133
Democrats,
25
Republicans
Economic well-being - Massachusetts
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.1
Minimum wage
15.0
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.2
Poverty rate
9.7%
Unemployment rate
4.8
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
2.8
Poverty by demographic - Massachusetts
Child poverty rate
0.1
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
19000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
53000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
139000
Senior poverty rate
10.8 %
Women in poverty
3,531,015
The Boston Globe, December 9, 2011: Conn. education commissioner seeks feedback
"About one-fourth of Conard's students come from low- income homes and qualify for free or reduced- cost lunches, contrary to the perception that West Hartford is an overwhelmingly wealthy community."
The Boston Globe, December 3, 2011: Lawrence schools rest on one man
"For more than two years, the committee failed to hire a replacement for former school superintendent Wilfredo Laboy, who faces multiple charges of fraud and embezzlement for using school department resources for personal use. Chester is sure to take a keen interest in student achievement data and social safety nets for the largely low-income student population. "
The Boston Globe, November 16, 2011: 6 schools with poor scores declared underperforming
"Almost 90 percent of students at the low-performing schools are members of minority groups and are from low-income families, groups that have traditionally lagged academically.In one of the schools targeted yesterday, James F. Leonard Middle School in Lawrence, 96 percent of students are from low-income backgrounds."
The Boston Globe, November 9, 2011: Poverty worsening in Hub, study says
"Poverty has deepened in Boston's poorest neighborhoods, widening the gap between the city's wealthiest and neediest residents, a report being released today finds."
Lowell Sun, November 7, 2011: Same weak argument by charter-school foes
"The differences are even more stark among low-income students. Charter public-school pupils who qualified for free or reduced-price lunches outscored low-income students in the districts they came from by between 15 and 18 points on the three tests. Since MCAS is graded on a 200-280 scale, 15 points is a very significant difference."
The Boston Globe, November 2, 2011: Changing student lunches, one tray at a time
"For low-income students, programs receive about $2.30, and $2.78 for the poorest population. The low-income figures are so high in about 20 Boston schools, administrators can provide free breakfasts and lunches."