By in Rhode Island’s Future
Rhode Island leapfrogged Maine to now have the
highest percentage of impoverished residents in New England, according to new
Census Bureau data analyzed by the Economic Progress Institute.
More than 144,000 Rhode Islanders experienced
poverty in 2013, or 14.3 percent of the state population. In Maine, which has
the second highest rate of poverty in New England, 14 percent of the population
experienced poverty. Last year, Maine had 14.9 percent of its population in poverty and Rhode
Island had 13.9 percent. Rhode Island went up .4 percent and Maine
dropped .9 percent.
Rhode Island has the 28th highest rate of people who
experienced poverty in the nation. Mississippi, New Mexico and
Louisiana were the top three and New Hampshire, Alaska and Maryland had the
lowest rates in the nation.
Rhode Island’s median annual income “remained flat
at $55,902 a year, ranking Rhode Island 19th among
all states, and in the middle of the pack in New England.
"This is
significantly less than pre-recession median household income of $60,183,”
according to a press release from EPI, a local nonprofit that advocates for
economic security for poor Rhode Islanders.
Rhode Island has the 19th highest median annual
income in the country. Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire
are sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
Bob Plain is the
editor/publisher of Rhode Island's Future. Previously, he's worked as a
reporter for several different news organizations both in Rhode Island and
across the country.