Missouri
State Government
Governor
Mike Parson (R)
State Senate
9
Democrats,
24
Republicans
State House
51
Democrats,
111
Republicans
Economic well-being - Missouri
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.2
Minimum wage
13.8
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.3
Poverty rate
12.3%
Unemployment rate
4.1
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
7.7
Poverty by demographic - Missouri
Child poverty rate
0.2
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
N/A
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
94000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
49000
Senior poverty rate
10.8 %
Women in poverty
3,088,608
The Springfield News-Leader, November 12, 2013: Springfield school board: Focus on helping students in poverty succeed
"Educating children who live in poverty emerged as the top priority when Springfield school board members were asked about topics that deserve attention and time during upcoming meetings."
The San Francisco Gate, October 28, 2013: Springfield's homeless student population growing
"Springfield public school officials say at least 551 homeless students are attending schools in the city this year, an increase from the 517 reported by December of last year."
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 22, 2013: UMKC works to help low-income students
"The University of Missouri-Kansas City, which was once among the more costly public universities for low-income students, has created a new grant program to help those students pay for their education."
Daily Journal, May 18, 2013: (Editorial) Keeping low-income students from being throwaway kids
"As Richard Weissbourd continues to find teachers and schools focusing on the life-diminishing troubles of the increasing number of low-income children across the nation, I'll be reporting them here along with those I discover elsewhere."
Springfield News-Leader, May 14, 2013: Home-life worries can disrupt ability to learn
"More than half of Springfield students straddle the poverty line, and it's higher - three out of every five - at the elementary level. Teachers like Tate know that home-life worries, left unchecked, can disrupt the students' ability to learn."
The Kansas City Star, April 28, 2013: Missouri advising program helps high school seniors draw road map to college
"The advisers are recent college graduates who get training and set up shop in high schools with large percentages of low-income students. The advisers connect with students who have the potential to succeed in college and help them take the steps to get there."