The number of Texans living in poverty is up 537,000 over the past decade according to data from the US Census Bureau released last week.
3,843,000 Texans were living in poverty in 2008.
The population of Texas is about 24 million.
The Census Bureau’s estimate for 2008 places 13.2 percent of Texans below the poverty line.
Poverty statistics are especially grim for Texas children.
23.1 percent, 1,535,000, Texans below the age of 18, are living in poverty and 31.6 percent live below 125 percent of poverty. 31.6 percent of Texas children live below 125 percent of the poverty line.
Texas is the eight worst state in the percentage of children living in poverty.
Among people in families with a female householder, no husband present, with children, 42.7 percent live below poverty, while more than half of people living in such households (54.3 percent) live below 125 percent of poverty.
Given these grim and worsening Texas poverty numbers one wonders why the candidates for statewide office seldom address the issue.
