4.6 Million Texans (18%) Lived in Poverty during 2011-2013
For Immediate Release: October 23rd, 2014
Contact: Celia Cole, 512-590-0659 or ccole@feedingtexas.org
Austin - Government data released today found high rates of poverty persisting in most Texas cities and counties during the latest measurement period. The Census revealed that 4.6 million Texans (18% of the population) including 1.8 million children (26%) and 313,000 seniors (11%) lived in poverty during the years 2011-2013.
“Texans are known for taking care of our own,” said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas. “Poverty certainly doesn’t belong in our state, but these numbers show that far too many of our neighbors are facing difficult times.”
The Census data was released for all Texas counties and cities with populations greater than 20,000. Local poverty rates were broadly aligned with statewide trends, and all were unchanged from the prior three-year period.
“We can’t resign ourselves to these unchanged statistics,” said Cole. “That’s why our food banks are aligning more of their resources towards programs that go beyond basic hunger relief to address the causes of food insecurity. We can only end hunger by increasing economic security.”
The 2013 federal poverty line was $23,550 for a family of four. Texas county and city poverty numbers can be found on the Feeding Texas website: PDF & Excel.
Feeding Texas leads a unified effort for a hunger-free Texas. Learn more and find your local food bank at www.feedingtexas.org.