Pennsylvania
State Government
Governor
Josh Shapiro (D)
State Senate
22
Democrats,
28
Republicans
State House
102
Democrats,
101
Republicans
Economic well-being - Pennsylvania
Extreme poverty rate
0.07
Food insecurity
0.132
Minimum wage
7.25
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.273
Poverty rate
11.6%
Unemployment rate
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
5.8
Poverty by demographic - Pennsylvania
Child poverty rate
0.15
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
29000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
191000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
215000
Senior poverty rate
10.4 %
Women in poverty
6,429,348
The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 10, 2013: Steep rise seen in deep poverty among elderly
"But like many American elderly, Jones is now struggling without a paycheck. Her tiny pension and Social Security income can't save her from a crushing poverty that could soon have her living on the streets."
Walton Family Foundation gives generous grant to city schools
"The Philadelphia School Partnership has received a $5 million challenge grant from the Walton Family Foundation to help create and expand high-quality city schools. [��_] Education is one of the foundation's major areas of interest. It has given more than $1 billion to K-12 education efforts, especially those that expand options for low-income students."
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 26, 2013: Teachers quietly serve as first responders to poverty
"In the Philadelphia area, teachers see themselves as first responders in the ongoing emergency of poverty. Many say that if they falter, they fail the children."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 10, 2013: Pa. colleges criticized over low-income aid
"A study released this week says colleges' pricing and aid policies are endangering the advancement of low-income and working-class students into the middle class. And once again, Pennsylvania public campuses found themselves on the high side of prices."
Pittsburgh Gazette, March 26, 2013: Pittsburgh-area school offers incentives to save for college
"Of all students in households with income below $50,000, only 45 percent of those who did not have their own savings account enrolled in college, but 65 percent of those with savings from $1 to $499 enrolled and 72 percent of those with savings of $500 or more enrolled. Variations of children's savings accounts -- some with matching amounts donated -- have cropped up around the country, through the influence of several organizations, including the Corporation for Enterprise Development, a Washington, D.C., organization aimed at alleviating poverty through economic opportunity and which worked with Propel in developing the proposal."
Centre Daily Times, March 25, 2013: (Op-Ed) Pre-K push will spend billions, fail as miserably as Head Start
"Despite taxpayer "investment" of nearly $8 billion per year, Head Start consistently fails to reap a return for either taxpayers or participating children. In December 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that administers Head Start, released a scientifically rigorous evaluation of more than 5,000 children participating in the program. It found that Head Start had little to no impact on cognitive, social-emotional, health, or parenting practices of participants."