Poverty has increased in Hawaii, census says

Hawaii was one of seven states to see an increase in the number of people in poverty between 2007 and 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau said on Sept. 20. There were 115,131 people living below poverty in Hawaii in 2008, up from 100,051 in 2007.

California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Oregon and Pennsylvania also saw increases. Nationwide there were 39.1 million people living below poverty in 2008, up from 38 million in 2007.

Poverty estimates compare family income to family size, composition and age of the householder. The Census Bureau said these statistics only partially reflect the current economic downturn on personal income. The recession began in December 2007; the income reported for this data spans January 2007 through November 2008.

Meanwhile, although the median family income in Hawaii in 2008 was $78,659, up 6.5 percent from $73,879 in 2007, the state also experienced a significant increase in the number of households receiving food stamps. 31,359 households received food stamps in Hawaii in 2008, up from 26,917 households in 2007.

In 2008, almost 9.8 million households received food stamps. The states with the highest participation were Louisiana, 16.2 percent; Maine, 13.8 percent; and Kentucky, 13.7 percent. The states with the lowest participation were Colorado, 5.1 percent; New Jersey, 4.7 percent; and Wyoming, 4.2 percent.