Census: Most counties in R.I. had poverty rates lower than nation

PROVIDENCE – Approximately 900 counties had poverty rates for school-age children that were statistically lower than the national average of 20.8 percent, and four of Rhode Island’s five counties fell into that category, according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The bureau, using statistics from its Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program, said that Rhode Island, along with Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Wyoming, were the only five states that had 80 percent of counties with poverty rates lower than the national rate in 2013.
The bureau also showed that among 217 counties in the Northeast region, Kent and Bristol counties were among the top 30 with low poverty rates in the “all ages” segment at 8.1, and 8.2, respectively, ranking them No. 21 and 22 on the list.
As for the top 30 communities in the region with the highest poverty rates for “all ages,” Providence County had 18.6 percent, ranking No. 20. Providence County holds roughly 60 percent of the state’s 1 million or so resident, according to 2010 census data.
In the ages 5 to 17 category, Bristol, Washington and Kent counties all landed in top 30 for low poverty rates, at 7.8 percent, 9.1 percent and 10.1 percent, and rankings of No. 12, No. 21 and No. 28, respectively.
Providence County ranked among the 30 counties with the highest poverty rates for children ages 5 to 17 at No. 16 with 26.9 percent.

In the all ages and 5-17 categories, Hunterdon County, N.J., had the lowest poverty rates with 4.1 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. Bronx County, N.Y., had the highest poverty rate in both categories at 30.1 percent, and 42.3 percent, respectively.
The bureau said that in New Mexico and Mississippi, more than 80 percent of counties had poverty rates statistically greater than the national rate, while across the country, 15 percent of school districts had poverty rates greater than 30 percent for school-age children.

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