Poverty rates declined in 20 states and the District of Columbia from 2016 to 2017, according to The 2017 American Community Survey, released today.
In Louisiana, however, the poverty rate is above 18% and it hasn’t changed much for the last five years. Thirteen states had poverty rates below 11% last year, while Louisiana is among just four—along with Mississippi, New Mexico and West Virginia—with a rate at 18% or more.
The poverty rate increased in two states, Delaware and West Virginia. Delaware saw its rate increase from 11.7% to 13.6% and the rate for West Virginia rose from 17.9% to 19.1%.
The data show that declining poverty was the continuation of a longer trend in many states. For example, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina have posted significant poverty rate declines for four years running.
Poverty has fallen in 42 states—not including Louisiana—since 2012.
