As part of an effort to help raise awareness of poverty rates, the Texas Demographic Center released several visualizations, highlighting the changing economic conditions of Texas and Calhoun County.Â
According to data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau, there has been a notable reduction in the poverty rate from 17.9% to 14% over the last decade; however, Texas still exceeds the national average, and is ranked 11th among all states. Compared to the national average of 12.6% of its population in poverty and state average of 14%, Calhoun County was higher at 15.9%.
âAt an individual level, there is a defined threshold made by the federal government that determines if a family is living below the poverty line. This data was collected by the Census Bureau, and then compiled into these visualizations by us,â Associate Director and Senior Demographer for the Texas Demographic Center Xiuhong You said.
According to the data set used, the numbers showed an average increase in Calhoun Countyâs poverty rate, increasing from 12.4% in 2020. The increase was also in contrast to the rates of poverty for the U.S. and Texas as a whole, both of which saw minor increases and then an additional decrease from 2020 to 2022.Â
âWe selected these numbers to visualize because we found them particularly interesting,â said You. âFor the school district data, we selected them from a special data process set.âÂ
Data presented by the U.S. Census Bureau also showed that among the 3,366 students that attended Calhoun County Independent School District, there were 719 students ranging from five to 17 that lived in poverty.Â
âAddressing the issues of poverty and income inequality becomes even more crucial with an aging population and a growing demographic of historically disadvantaged individuals,â according to the Texas Demographic Center.