Wisconsin
State Government
Governor
Tony Evers (D)
State Senate
10
Democrats,
22
Republicans
State House
35
Democrats,
41
Republicans
Economic well-being - Wisconsin
Extreme poverty rate
0.06
Food insecurity
0.118
Minimum wage
7.25
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.251
Poverty rate
10.3%
Unemployment rate
3.1
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
5.3
Poverty by demographic - Wisconsin
Child poverty rate
0.12
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
N/A
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
67,000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
85,000
Senior poverty rate
10.0 %
Women in poverty
2,915,466
PolitFact Wisconsin, December 5, 2014: Alberta Darling says reading proficiency is 8% at 50 low-income and high-minority schools
"High-poverty schools tend to have lower achievement than low-poverty schools. Milwaukee's highest-poverty schools serve racial minorities. Milwaukee's black students post some of the lowest achievement scores nationally among black students nationwide in certain grades and subjects."
Jackson County Chronicle, October 22, 2014: Schools honored for work with low-income students
"Lincoln Elementary and High School and Mindoro Elementary School each received a Wisconsin School of Recognition award a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction honor that recognizes schools with high poverty rates but exceed achievement benchmarks. Lincoln Elementary and High School each were named 'beating the odds' schools, which are in the top 25 percent of high-poverty schools in the state and have above-average student achievement in reading and mathematics when compared to similar schools."
The Green Bay Press Gazette, June 19, 2014: Schools offers free summer lunches to low-income families
"The program, which started in 1999, is designed to feed low-income children throughout the city during the summer months when they're not in school, said Kathy Walker, food director for the Green Bay Area School District. This year's program started Monday in many area locations."
The San Francisco Chronicle, May 28, 2014: Student poverty increases in Wisconsin schools
"The percentage of Wisconsin public school students in poverty continues to increase."
The Capital Times, March 03, 2014: Madison School Board president says achievement gap is about more than poverty
"School Board president Ed Hughes says that the Madison Metropolitan School District remains focused on a race-based academic achievement gap that has plagued it for decades, and it is about more than families living in poverty."
The Capital Times, June 10, 2013: Literacy, resilience are goals at Madison school with steepest growth in poverty
"Low academic achievement has been linked to poverty in education research and Sandburg is among schools with student test scores low enough for the state Department of Public Instruction to label it a focus' school in need of more interventions to close the achievement gap. Wilfrid points out, though, that the school also was recognized for a greater-than-expected rate of improvement among its English language learners."