Poverty Hits 11.4% in Colorado

Colorado went into the current recession in a worse position than it entered the 2001 recession, according to new poverty data released today by the Census Bureau. Colorado’s poverty rate hit 11.4 percent in 2008, even prior to the full onset of the recession. This new data is a significant increase over Colorado’s 2001 poverty rate of 9.6 percent, outpacing the national poverty rate increase from 12.1 percent in 2001 to 13.2 percent in 2008. Likewise, the state’s child poverty rate remains among the fastest growing in the country, climbing from 12.2 percent in 2001 to14.8 percent in 2008.

“The new numbers paint a troubling picture on poverty in Colorado,” said Kathy White, Program Director of the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute. “Colorado went into a worse recession in 2008 in an even worse position than in the last recession in 2001, with more Coloradans in poverty—kids, families, and individuals.”

“The implications of poverty on a child’s life are widespread and long-lasting,” said Chris Watney, President of the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “These numbers represent real lives and a real need to reverse this trend.”

See the complete release here.