I received a handout which lists a few interesting statistics on poverty in Knoxville/Knox County. I’m unsure of the source, but have no reason to doubt them:
- 12.3% of county residents live below the poverty level (for a family of four defined as an income of $18,100 or less).
- 21% of city residents live in poverty.
- 19.9% of county children live in poverty.
- 13.3% of country elderly live in poverty.
- 36.4% of employed county residents make less than $9.50/hour (the “livable” wage in this community).
- Of those living in poverty, the largest demographic group are adult females (36.5% of the total).
It’s unfortunate that so many people are struggling, particularly since that includes one out of five children. Unfortunately, with the employment market as it is, I don’t see much improvement in these numbers anytime soon.