7/29/2019 The State of Poverty, Opportunity and Economic Security in New York

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Increasing the number o workers in good jobs that pay

amily-supporting wages and oer benefts and traditional

workplace policies such as sick leave is one o the astest

ways to reduce poverty. Ensuring that more students

graduate rom high school and that adults have the skills

needed or good jobs is also a critical piece o the jobs

puzzle. Improving wages or all workers and ensuring that

women are paid comparably to men will also lower thenumber o amilies in New York who ace economic risk.

ve measures for improvement for the men,

women, and families of new york:

• Youth who are not in school or employed: 8 percent,

ranked 16th in the country

• High school graduation rate: 73.5 percent, ranked 39th

in the country

• Percentage o young adults ages 25 to 34 with anassociate’s degree or higher: 49.2 percent, ranked 5th in

the country

• For every dollar earned by a man, a woman in New York

doing the same job earns $0.79, ranked 18th in the

country

 

When these measures rise in New York, we will know that

opportunity is replacing poverty in the Empire State.

 

New York

the state of poverty, opportunity, and economic security in

Creating good jobsN ationwide, millions o amilies acing economic

hardship and poverty are doing all they can to

make ends meet despite today’s challenging economy.

More than 106 million Americans are struggling to

make ends meet. Millions ace hardships such as

trouble paying the rent, keeping current with utility 

payments, covering the cost o health care, and

putting ood on the table. In New York, amilies are

dealing with these challenges and more on a daily 

basis. O the total number o residents in New York,16 percent are living below the ocial poverty line,

8.2 percent are unemployed, and 16.4 percent o 

households are struggling with hunger.

Right now, policymakers ace major decisions about

the uture o struggling amilies in New York, and

the competitiveness o our nation as a whole. Tey 

can choose policies that only beneft the wealthiest

in our country by placing heavier burdens on New

 York’s middle-and low-income amilies. Or they can choose to make the right investments in good

 jobs and to strengthen amilies and promote their

economic security-all while cutting the defcit. Tis

actsheet shows how New York is aring.

More New York amilies in poverty means ewer

consumers in the state economy and ewer skilled

workers or the jobs and industries o the uture.

In the past we have signifcantly cut poverty when a

strong economy in combination with strong public

policies and private initiatives worked together to

lit up millions o Americans. We need your voice to

advocate or our elected ocials to enact legislation

that moves these indicators in the right direction and

rebuilds the middle class.

half in ten | the right choices to cut poverty and restore shared prosperity | november 19, 2012

7/29/2019 The State of Poverty, Opportunity and Economic Security in New York

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Increasing the health and stability o struggling amilies

is an essential element o a successul strategy to reduce

poverty. To do so requires an increasing number o low-

income amilies gaining access to quality health care.

It also means that parents, particularly single parents,have assistance with basic expenses so they can provide

or their amilies. Reducing teen parenting also helps

alleviate poverty.

three measures of improvement in new york

to help strengthen struggling families:

• Percentage o the state population living without health

insurance: 11.4, ranked 16th in the country

• Teen birth rate: 22.6 births by teenagers per every 1000births, ranked 9th in the country

• Foster care placement: 6 children living in oster care

per every 1000 children in New York, ranked 25th in the

country

 

When these measures improve we will know New York is

on the right track.

 

Strengthening families and communities

Economically secure amilies are less likely to all into

poverty when members cannot work or when work is

unavailable, unstable, or pays so little that they cannot

make ends meet. Jobless workers should be able to turn

to unemployment insurance when needed, and amiliesshould be able to access sufcient ood and aordable

housing. Economic security also means providing

opportunities or amilies to build their own assets to

weather unoreseen crises and save or the uture.

four measures of improvement to help more

families in new york build economic security:

• Number o aordable and available units or every 100

renter households with very low incomes: 52, ranked43rd in the country

• Households struggling against hunger: 16.4 percent,

ranked 44th in the country

• Percentage o unemployed workers receiving

unemployment insurance: 64 percent, ranked 10th in

the country

• Percentage o households that are “asset poor:” 36

percent, ranked 49th in the country

When these measures indicate economic security is

available in times o crisis or individuals and amilies

in need, we will know that the opportunity to succeed in

New York is strong.

Promoting economic security

Hal in en urges you to stand up and take action today. Contact your members o Congress and ask them to protect

low-income people in defcit reduction, promote tax airness by making permanent reorms to the earned income and

child tax credits, and ocus on creating more good jobs by passing provisions such as those in the American Jobs Act.

for more resources, please visit http://www.halnten.org/indicators.

half in ten | the right choices to cut poverty and restore shared prosperity | november 19, 2012