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
The Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, July 22, 2012: UWSP's Upward Bound program hopes for appeal to restore lost funding
"Upward Bound, a program that prepares low-income students for college, is awaiting the results of an appeal on a decision by the U.S. Department of Education to halt its funding. Wojnicki, the program's director, learned May 14 that the program -- which has been on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus since 1968 -- would lose its $500,000 funding as of May 31."
The Post-Crescent, July 22, 2012: P-C kicks off annual Backpacks for Kids campaign
"In Backpacks for Kids,' it's a great chance to help low-income and underprivileged kids get the school year off to a great start, and that makes a difference in how the rest of the year unfolds. It's far better for them to begin classroom work on the right foot than struggle from the beginning."
The Associated Press, July 6, 2012: No Child Left Behind waivers going to Wash., Wis.
"Members of both parties agree the No Child Left Behind law is broken but have been unable to agree on how to fix it. While it has been praised for focusing on the performance of minorities, low-income students, English language learners and special education students, it has also led to a number of schools being labeled as 'failing.'"
Green Bay Press-Gazette, June 14, 2012: Green Bay area minority girls get nudge to college
"'I think the reasons minority students don't attend college are the same as the widening (academic) achievement gap,' she said. 'Poverty or culture can play a part. But they also don't have role models in schools, there aren't enough teachers or staff for them to look up to or see as role models.'"
Green Bay Press-Gazette, April 2, 2012: Child care centers shoot for the stars
"YoungStar, which started in 2010, rates the quality of child care centers on a one- to five-star scale, with five stars as the highest rating. Fourteen of Brown County's 94 child care providers registered with the program are five-star facilities, according to the state Department of Children and Families."
Oshkosh Northwestern, April 2, 2012: Battling poverty: Program helps keep hunger at bay during class
"The number of children in poverty is continuing to rise in Oshkosh and throughout Wisconsin. For eight straight years, the number of students in Wisconsin public schools eligible for free or reduced-price meals, the barometer for poverty used by school districts, has increased."