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click image for full size Other articles in Part 3 Working poor dominate poverty rolls Graphs: poverty rate trends; poverty and education; geographic area Suburbs thrive; cities, rural area fall behind Women and children most likely to be poor Most poor people don't stay that way Graphs: poverty rate by race, ethnicity; age; household Oregon's children and poverty Elders face poverty as they grow older Disability and chronic poverty Poverty and minorities Related links Oregon Center for Public Policy

Working poor dominate poverty rolls story by Theresa Novak The U.S. Census Bureau measured Oregon's overall poverty rate for 1997-98 at 13.3 percent. The rate is considerably higher for children, single women and minority group members. (See graphs on pages 11 and 13.) Children under 5 years old have the highest poverty rate of all age groups with one in five living in poverty. Among households, those headed by single women have a poverty rate of 30 percent. And minorities have much higher poverty rates than whites. Blacks, Native Americans and Hispanics experience poverty rates of 25 percent or more compared to ten percent of whites. Up to 70 percent of the people who are living in poverty in Oregon are the so-called "working poor." That is, these people usually work full time, but don't earn enough to leave the ranks of the poor. Full time employment at minimum wage translates into gross pay of $260 a week from which to pay for groceries, rent, heat, electricity and transportation. Faced with this sort of budget, some Oregonians are forced to skimp on food so they can pay their bills. About 12.6 percent of Oregon households have difficulty meeting their basic needs for food, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics released in October 1999. That compares to a national average of 9.7 percent. Finding an affordable place to live is also a huge challenge for families in Oregon, especially low-income families. The state's population growth-about twice the national average-has pushed housing costs to some of the highest in the nation. Oregon ranked 13th among the states in the cost of existing homes and 17th in the cost of new ones, according to the National Association of Realtors. Little help is available for those looking for affordable housing. The waiting list for subsidized housing is years long. Earning the money to afford both housing and food has become more complicated in the past 20 years. Then, a high school diploma was a ticket to a family-wage job with a local plywood mill, logging outfit or fishing fleet. These higher-paying jobs have been automated or exported out of existence in the past 20 years as Oregon's economic base shifted from natural resources to high technology, light manufacturing, service, retail and Pacific Rim exports. Today 47 percent of all job openings pay less than the $10.07 an hour considered a living wage for a single adult, according to a University of Washington policy center report. "It isn't so much that we're becoming a nation of haves and have-nots as a nation of skilled and unskilled, trained and untrained," said Earl Fairbanks, a recently retired regional economist for the Oregon Employment Division. A recent study by the Oregon Employment Department indicates that the richest 20 percent of Oregon families with children have an average annual income of $97,589. That is 10 times more than the average income of the poorest 20 percent. Unless they gain some marketable skills, Oregonians who find themselves in reduced economic circumstances face a continuing struggle to find a niche in the lower economic rungs. Pamela Moore, 43, of Lebanon, knows what it is like to be learning new job skills in mid-life. A former bartender, Pamela sought help from the Lebanon Jobs Program after separating from her husband and facing the prospect of supporting two teenage daughters. "Poor to me does not even describe where people who live on welfare are," she said. "Poor is a step or two above welfare income. Poor is just scraping by with nothing left over." Moore is grateful the help was available for her and others who need it, but she knows that alone won't make the difference. Ultimately, she is drawing on her own strength and determination. "I promised my children," she said.   Article 1 of 10 in Part 3   back to top

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