Flourishing Facts – Families in Poverty
Why is poverty data important?
Imagine being a single mother trying to put food on the table for your kids. Every penny counts, but even working two jobs, you barely scrape by. This is the reality for too many in the greater Evansville region, where 15% of families with children grapple with poverty. And when you also consider the additional 37% of “ALICE” families who are technically over the poverty threshold but are not making ends meet, that’s a lot of households struggling financially. This burden impacts everything, from access to healthy food to affording a safe home. But it’s not a uniform struggle. While poverty overall has decreased over the last five years of data, some rural areas like Boonville and Fort Branch saw a worrying rise. And the fight is far from over for communities of color, burdened with disproportionately high rates.
There is some good news for neighborhoods.
*Greater Evansville Region includes Vanderburgh, Warrick, Gibson, Posey, IN and Henderson, KY. “Poverty Rates for Families with Children” data comes from the most recent American Community Survey data release, 2022, soon to be updated in Grow/SAVI.
WBF has a high level of investment and partnership with poverty-alleviation efforts through place-based initiative investing. Grantee partners like Community One, Potter’s Wheel, Dream Center, Hope City Church, Audubon Kids Zone, and others work alongside community partners and funders like us to increase flourishing through a relational, asset-based approach.
Find more data on poverty and related issues
Poverty solutions are complex and data helps empowers action. Here are some ways to learn more about poverty in areas you serve and care about.
- The Poverty and Income Topic Profile presents basic indicators, data on contributing factors, impacts of poverty, and more.
- If you need data on specific geographies, like counties, zip codes, and neighborhoods, check out the SAVI Community Profile Tool.
(Pro tip: not all data is available for small geographies, like neighborhoods. If you run into missing data, try a slightly larger area, like the zip code that encompasses the neighborhood.)
- Check out the Poverty Hub in the Grow Library for additional learning resources.
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