Poverty Rates in Idaho
All Over the State, People are Going to Bed Hungry
Idaho is tied with Maine with the 27th highest poverty rate in the United States at a poverty rate of 11.5%.
This is just slightly better than the poverty rates of Washington and Rhode Island, but just slightly higher than the poverty rate of Pennsylvania.
Where the Worst Poverty in Idaho Occurs
Idaho is an extremely rare case in which there isn’t a single major city or county with a poverty rate at least 50% higher than the state average.
Every single major city and county has a poverty rate close to the state average except for the city of Meridian. The poverty rate in Meridian is actually more than 50% below the state average, with a poverty rate of 5.6%.
The highest poverty rates in Idaho are found in the counties of Shoshone, Madison, Owyhee, Clark, Cassia, Idaho, Power, and Washington. These counties are both rural and urban, and there does not appear to be any real geographic pattern in the poverty either.
Why the Worst Poverty in Idaho Exists
The poverty rates in Idaho do not change very much from place to place, and certainly not enough to pinpoint any specific area as a critical poverty area. However, the poverty rates of Idaho are certainly not some of the lowest in the country.
To better understand what is causing the poverty in Idaho, the problem has to be looked at from both a rural perspective and an urban perspective.
Idaho is predominantly rural land. Poverty in rural areas is often times caused by a lack of access to utilities, education, jobs, and health care.
The distance from the major cities also causes an information deficit, and residents in the rural areas will be less likely to know if they are qualified for welfare, or how to apply for it.
Stigma can also be a problem for Native American residents living in rural reservations in Idaho. On top of the other problems associated with rural life, people living on reservations often times have added isolation and a lack of political voice that further hinders their ability to escape poverty.
Poverty in urban areas is oftentimes caused by a higher cost of living than what low-wage positions can afford to pay for.
This leads to a lack of saved up assets, and an extreme vulnerability to any kind of financial burden. If anything goes wrong, people who make up the working poor will more often than not slip into a state of poverty.
All of this aside, it is important to keep in mind that the reasons for poverty are as unique as the individuals who live through it. Though finding trends in a specific area is important, no generalization can account for everyone.
What is Being Done about Poverty in Idaho
Many poor local communities are banding together in order to strengthen their voice and win the attention of the government. Organizations like the Coeur d’Alene Reservation Horizons work to make people more aware of poverty in their own neighborhoods.
Local organizations like this are very important, because they bring rural communities together and end the isolation that is so crippling to these rural communities.
If enough people are united in the movement to end poverty in their own neighborhood, then perhaps people can begin looking at poverty rates less in terms of statistics and numbers, and more in terms of human beings who need help.
References:
United States Census Bureau
Everyday Democracy: Ideas and Tools for Community Change
