DURHAM, N.H., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- In one year, from 2009 to 2010, 1 million more U.S children joined the ranks of the impoverished, researchers said.
Researchers at the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire said the 1 million newly poor children are part of a surge of 2.6 million children who have fallen into poverty since 2007 when the country fell into recession. There are now an estimated 15.7 million American children in poverty.
Jessica Bean, vulnerable families research associate at the Carsey Institute, Beth Mattingly, director of research on vulnerable families at the Carsey Institute and assistant professor of sociology, and Andrew Schaefer, a doctoral student in sociology, estimated nearly one in four children age 6 and under live in poverty.
Overall, the South had the highest rates of child poverty at an estimated 24.2 percent, while the Northeast had the lowest rates at an estimated 17.8 percent.
In addition, 28.7 percent of children in urban areas and 25.4 percent of children in rural areas live in poverty. The rate is 16.1 percent in the suburbs.
Mississippi has the highest percentage of children living in poverty at 32.5 percent, followed by the District of Columbia at 30.4 percent and New Mexico at 30 percent, the study found.
New Hampshire has the lowest percentage of children living in poverty at 10 percent, followed by Connecticut at 12.8 percent and Alaska at 12.9 percent.
The report is at http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/CarseySearch/search.php?id=173.
