Poverty in Duluth
Community Action Duluth's Circles of Support program hosted the "Pucks Against Poverty Face-Off" with the University of Minnesota Duluth Women's Hockey team.
The Reality of Poverty in Duluth
Statistics according to the 2009 American Community Survey (ACS)
- The poverty rate was up sharply in 2009 to just over 25% of all Duluthians. The poverty rate in Duluth has risen by almost 10% since 2006. The following is a look at the percentage of all Duluthians who were at or below 100% of Federal Poverty in the past four years:
- 2009: 25.1%
- 2008: 20.9%
- 2007: 18.3%
- 2006: 15.8%
- Minnesota as a whole had an 11% poverty rate in 2009. The poverty rate in Duluth is more than double the rate for the state overall.
- A family of one child and one parent is at or below the poverty guideline if they lived on less than $14,570 annually.
- In 2009, 47.2% of all Duluthians were at or below 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. This was up from 40.7% in 2008. For a family of 2, an income of $29,140 or less is 200% of federal poverty guidelines.
Racial Disparities and Poverty
The percent of people of color in poverty in Duluth was substantially higher than for whites in the 2000 Census. The poverty data is not available by race in the 2009 American Community Survey.
- 40% of African Americans were in poverty
- 49% of Native Americans were in poverty
Children and Poverty
- A massive percentage of single mothers in Duluth live in poverty, according to the 2009 ACS. Families with only a woman present and a related child under the age of 5 had a poverty rate of 82.4%.
- All families (one or two parents in the home) with children under 5 have a poverty rate of 38.9%.
- All families with children under 18 have an aggregated poverty rate of 27.4%.
Poverty and Education
The chart below shows the average wages for workers in Duluth in 2009:
Level of Education |
Annual Earnings |
No high school diploma |
$12,500 |
High school diploma |
$24,700 |
Bachelor’s degree |
$39,000 |
Graduate degree |
$50,000 |
In the recent recession, workers with no high school diploma were 10 times more likely to be laid off than those with a high school diploma or higher degree.
INFORMATION UPDATED BY COMMUNITY ACTION DULUTH IN DECEMBER 2010
How much do you really know about poverty?
Take this interactive quiz to find out!
How much does it cost to make ends meet in your community? How much does child poverty cost our economy every year? How many people did unemployment insurance keep out of poverty last year? Test your knowledge of these and other questions with Half in Ten's interactive poverty quiz.
With 43.6 million Americans living in poverty and millions more struggling to make ends meet, it is more important than ever to educate the public on the problem of poverty, debunk stereotypes, and make the case for proven policy solutions that can increase economic opportunity for all Americans.
To that end, Half in Ten has developed this fun, interactive quiz designed to raise awareness of the problem, fight false notions, and illustrate policy solutions that work.
We need to do everything we can to educate the public and policymakers and to build the grassroots movement to advance policies that create good jobs, promote economic security, strengthen families, and ultimately, cut poverty in half in ten years.
Now take our Minnesota-Specific Poverty Quiz
Poverty Quiz is made available by the Blandin Foundation and was updated in June 2009.
Click here for a pop-up of the answers.
1. Women and children make up what percentage of homeless people in St. Louis County?
a. More than 20%
b. More than 30%
c. More than 50%
d. More than 75%
2. As of September 2008, there were about 21,000 unfilled jobs outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area (Greater Minnesota). How many job seekers were competing for those jobs?
a. 16,000
b. 32,000
c. 55,000
d. 74,000
3. A decade earlier, in 1998, there were about 42,000 unfilled jobs outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area (Greater Minnesota). How many job seekers were competing for those jobs in 1998?
a.
27,000
b. 39,000
c. 52,000
d. 74,000
4. What was the January 2009 unemployment rate in Duluth?
a.
6.5
b. 7.6
c. 8.4
d. 9.9
5. What was the January 2009 unemployment rate in the State of Minnesota?
a.
6.5
b. 7.6
c. 8.4
d. 9.9
6. The JOBS NOW Coalition updated its Cost of Living in Minnesota research in 2008. In 2008, for a family of four with both parents working, how much must each parent earn to meet basic needs?
a.
$5.55 an hour
b. $8.23 an hour
c. $11.79 an hour
d. $13.44 an hour
7. What hourly income would a working single parent with one child need to meet basic family needs in St. Louis County?
a.
$7.50 an hour
b. $12.95 an hour
c. $14.71 an hour
d. $16.64 an hour
8. What is the average hourly wage in the City of Duluth?
a. $7.50 an hour
b. $12.95 an hour
c. $14.71 an hour
d. $16.64 an hour
9. In the Duluth School District, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2007, what percent of families headed by single mothers with children under five years old lived below the poverty level?
a. 24%
b. 49%
c. 61%
d. 80%
10. In the Duluth School District, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2007, what percent of all families with children under five years old lived below the poverty level?
a. 24%
b. 49%
c. 61%
d. 80%
11. According to U.S. Census data for 2000, what percent of the Duluth population was living in poverty?
a. 3.7%
b. 8.1%
c. 13.9%
d. 15.5%
12. According to U.S. Census data for 2000, what percent of the Minnesota population was living in poverty?
a. 3.7%
b. 8.1%
c. 13.9%
d. 15.5%
13. To qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in school, a family must have a household income below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. What percent of students in the Duluth School District qualify for free or reduced-price lunch?
a. 28%
b. 33%
c. 49%
d. 64%
14. In the Duluth School District, what percent of third grade students who were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch were proficient in mathematics on their 2007-2008 MCAII tests?
a. 33.9%
b. 45.3 %
c. 67.1%
d. 88.3%
15. In the Duluth School District, what percent of third grade students who were not eligible for free or reduced-price lunch were proficient in mathematics on their 2007-2008 MCAII tests?
a. 33.9%
b. 45.3%
c. 67.1%
d. 88.3%
16. In the Duluth School District, what percent of 10th grade students who were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch were proficient in reading on their 2007-2008 MCAII tests?
a. 23.8%
b. 47.8%
c. 61.8%
d. 79.8%
17. In the Duluth School District, what percent of 10th grade students who were not eligible for free or reduced-price lunch were proficient in reading on their 2007-2008 MCAII tests?
a. 23.8%
b. 47.8%
c. 61.8%
d. 79.8%
18. What is the change in the number of children living in poverty in St. Louis County from 2003 to 2007?
a. From 3,129 to 3,255
b. From 4,332 to 5,397
c. From 5,241 to 6,988
d. From 6,759 to 7,333
Minnesota's Ladder Out of Poverty
Click on the links below to check out videos on the Ladder out of Poverty. Thanks to Jay Cole for producing the videos and providing these links.
Ladder Out of Poverty supports request to Minnesota Legislature to end poverty by 2020 in Minnesota
Resources
Find out more about Community Action agencies in Minnesota:
www.mncaa.org
Find out more about Circles of Support:
www.beyondwelfare.org
www.movethemountain.org
Churches United in Ministry (CHUM) - www.chumduluth.org
Start a business:
Northeast Entrepreneur Fund - www.entrepreneurfund.org
University of Minnesota Duluth Center for Economic Development - www.umdced.com
Buy a house:
www.nhsduluth.org
www.landtrustduluth.org
Save for the future:
www.helpmnsave.org
www.managingmymoney.com
Service referrals:
www.211unitedway.org
Learn more about poverty:
www.povertyusa.org
