State of the States Report 2015

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State of the States Report 2015Poverty and Opportunity in the States:

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Rachel West and Jackie Odum February 2016

WWW.AMERICANPROGRESS.O


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State of the States Report 2015Poverty and Opportunity in the States:

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Rachel West and Jackie Odum February 2016


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1 Introduction and summary

3 Poverty indicators

3 Poverty

5 Child poverty

7 Income inequality

9 High school graduation

11 Higher education attainment

13 Disconnected youth

15 Unemployment

17 Gender wage gap

19 Children living apart from parents

21 Teen birth rate

23 Health insurance coverage

25 Hunger and food insecurity

27 Unemployment insurance coverage

29 Affordable and available housing

31 Savings and assets

33 Conclusion

34 About the authors and acknowledgments

35 State-by-state fact sheets

Contents


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1 Center for American Progress | State of the States Report 2015

Introduction and summary

In 2014, more han one in seven Americans46.7 million peoplelived below

he official ederal povery level o less han $24,000 per year or a amily o our.1

While he U.S. economy has gradually improved in he afermah o he recession,

ar oo many amilies coninue o sruggle o make ends mee, much less ge ahead.

Each year, he Cener or American Progress releases is Sae o he Saes

repor, which evaluaes progress oward cuting povery and increasing opporu-

niy by racking 15 key indicaors in each sae. Tese indicaors can help sae pol-icymakers beter undersand he areas in which saes are improving he siuaion

o sruggling amilies, as well as he areas in which hey mus do more o promoe

amilies well-being. Te repor ranks saes according o how successully hey

are reducing povery and inequaliy, improving he qualiy o jobs and educaion,

promoing amily sabiliy and srengh, and ensuring amily economic securiy.

As his repor underscores,policy materswhen i comes o addressing povery and

improving economic opporuniy. Sae policymakers have a hos o ools a heir

disposal o bring abou change ha makes a meaningul difference in he lives o

American amilies.

Tis years repor highlighs examples o commendable and innovaive seps

ha saes have recenly aken o suppor and srenghen amilies. Even as

naional progress has been salled by a gridlocked Congress, many saes have

orged aheadraising wages or low-paid workers, creaing amily-riendly work

environmens hrough paid leave policies, reducing barriers o employmen

and public assisance or amilies involved in he jusice sysem, and connecing

youh o high-qualiy work opporuniies hrough appreniceships, o name jus a

ew examples.


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2 Center for American Progress | State of the States Report 2015

Bu while policy can vasly improve lives, policy decisions can also shu he doors

o opporuniy or reverse amilies hard-earned gains alogeher. In addiion o

commending saes srides o comba povery and o promoe opporuniy, his

repor also shines a ligh on recen acions by policymakers ha may hinder or

harm already-sruggling amilies in heir saes.

Developmens in he saes over he pas yearhe good, he bad, and he ugly

demonsrae how ar-reaching and consequenial sae-level policymaking can

be. By aking a hard look a where heir sae is succeeding and where i is alling

shor, advocaes, lawmakers, and residens can prioriize uure acion ha would

dramaically reduce povery and increase well-being in heir backyard and beyond.

Endnotes

1 Carmen DeNavas-Walt and Bernadette D. Proctor, Income and Poverty in the United States: 2014 (Washington: Bureauof the Census, 2015), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdf.
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdfhttps://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdfhttps://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdfhttps://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdf


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3 C t f A i P | St t f th St t R t 2015

Poverty

Poverty and inequality

In recen years, several saes havebegun aking significan sepso address povery among a highly

vulnerable populaionormerly

incarceraed individuals and heir

amilies. For example, since 1996, 18

saes have ully lifed ederally imposed

bans on he Supplemenal Nuriion

Assisance Program, or SNAPormerly

known as ood sampsor people wih

elony drug convicions.2Mos saes have

aken seps o alleviae hese resricions

or he emporary Assisance or Needy

Families, or ANF, program, and a oal

o 14 saes have eliminaed he elony

drug ban or ANF alogeher.3

In paricular, Caliornia recenly made

an imporan sride. In 2014, he

sae legislaure passed a bill ha ully

eliminaed he saes ban on boh ANF

and SNAP or people wih elony drug

convicions.4For Caliornians, his means

ha amilies involved in he jusice sysem

will finally have a air sho a accessing

adequae ood and economic securiy as

hey seek o ge back on heir ee.

Mississippi, he naions pooressae, exacerbaed he pligho is poor amilies wih a 2014 law

requiring all ANF applicans o answer

a quesionnaire on subsance abuse and

o submi o a drug es i requesed.5

I applicans reuse o submi, he sae

can erminae ANF benefis. Alhoughnearly 3 in 10 Mississippi children live in

povery, he saes income assisance is

among he leas adequae in he counry,

providing amilies only $1.83 per person

each dayan amoun ha has declined

more han 7 percen over he pas wo

decades.6Ye raher han using ANF

unds o alleviae povery, Mississippi and

six oher saes insead chose o spend

large sums o sigmaize impoverished

amilies and inrude on heir privacywhile ignoring evidence ha hese cosly

ess yield very litle benefi.7

The good

The bad and the ugly

Share of people with incomes below the poverty line$23,834 for a family of fourin 2014

U.S. poverty rate:

14.8%1


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Endnotes

State Poverty rank Share living in poverty

New Hampshire 1 9.2%

Maryland 2 10.1%

Connecticut 3 10.8%

New Jersey 4 11.1%

Wyoming 5 11.2%

Alaska 6 11.2%

Hawaii 7 11.4%

Minnesota 8 11.5%

North Dakota 9 11.5%

Massachusetts 10 11.6%

Utah 11 11.7%

Virginia 12 11.8%

Colorado 13 12.0%

Vermont 14 12.2%

Iowa 15 12.2%

Nebraska 16 12.4%

Delaware 17 12.5%

Wisconsin 18 13.2%

Washington 19 13.2%

Kansas 20 13.6%

Pennsylvania 21 13.6%

Maine 22 14.1%

South Dakota 23 14.2%

Rhode Island 24 14.3%

Illinois 25 14.4%

Idaho 26 14.8%

State Poverty rank Share living in pover

Nevada 27 15.2%

Indiana 28 15.2%

Montana 29 15.4%

Missouri 30 15.5%

Ohio 31 15.8%

New York 32 15.9%

Michigan 33 16.2%

California 34 16.4%

Florida 35 16.5%

Oregon 36 16.6%

Oklahoma 37 16.6%

Texas 38 17.2%

North Carolina 39 17.2%

District of Columbia 40 17.7%

South Carolina 41 18.0%

Arizona 42 18.2%

West Virginia 43 18.3%

Georgia 44 18.3%

Tennessee 45 18.3%

Arkansas 46 18.9%

Kentucky 47 19.1%

Alabama 48 19.3%

Louisiana 49 19.8%

New Mexico 50 21.3%

Mississippi 51 21.5%

1 Carmen DeNavas-Walt and Bernadette D. Proctor,Income and Poverty in the United States: 2014(Washington: Bureau of the Census, 2015), availableat https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdf.

2 Rebecca Beitsch, States Rethink Restrictions onFood Stamps, Welfare for Drug Felons, The PewCharitable Trusts, July 30, 2015, available at http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/07/30/states-rethink-restrictions-on-food-stamps-welfare-for-drug-felons.

3 Ibid.

4 Arthur Delaney, States Undo Food Stamp FelonBans, The Huffington Post, June 23, 2014, available athttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/23/food-stamps_n_5515159.html.

5 Bryce Covert and Josh Israel, What 7 States Dis-covered After Spending More Than $1 Million DrugTesting Welfare Recipients, ThinkProgress, February26, 2015, available athttp://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/.

6 Ife Floyd and Liz Schott, TANF Cash Benefits HavFallen by More Than 20 Percent in Most States anContinue to Erode (Washington: Center on Budgand Policy Priorities, 2015), available at http://wwcbpp.org/research/family-income-support/tanf-cbenefits-have-fallen-by-more-than-20-percent-inmost-states.

7 Covert and Israel, What 7 States Discovered AfteSpending More Than $1 Million Drug Testing WelRecipients.

Source: Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey(U.S. Department of Commerce, 2014), Table B17001.

State rankings: Poverty rate

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdfhttps://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdfhttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/07/30/states-rethink-restrictions-on-food-stamps-welfare-for-drug-felonshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/07/30/states-rethink-restrictions-on-food-stamps-welfare-for-drug-felonshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/07/30/states-rethink-restrictions-on-food-stamps-welfare-for-drug-felonshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/07/30/states-rethink-restrictions-on-food-stamps-welfare-for-drug-felonshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/23/food-stamps_n_5515159.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/23/food-stamps_n_5515159.htmlhttp://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/http://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/tanf-cash-benefits-have-fallen-by-more-than-20-percent-in-most-stateshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/tanf-cash-benefits-have-fallen-by-more-than-20-percent-in-most-stateshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/tanf-cash-benefits-have-fallen-by-more-than-20-percent-in-most-stateshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/tanf-cash-benefits-have-fallen-by-more-than-20-percent-in-most-stateshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/tanf-cash-benefits-have-fallen-by-more-than-20-percent-in-most-stateshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/tanf-cash-benefits-have-fallen-by-more-than-20-percent-in-most-stateshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/tanf-cash-benefits-have-fallen-by-more-than-20-percent-in-most-stateshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/tanf-cash-benefits-have-fallen-by-more-than-20-percent-in-most-stateshttp://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/23/food-stamps_n_5515159.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/23/food-stamps_n_5515159.htmlhttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/07/30/states-rethink-restrictions-on-food-stamps-welfare-for-drug-felonshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/07/30/states-rethink-restrictions-on-food-stamps-welfare-for-drug-felonshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/07/30/states-rethink-restrictions-on-food-stamps-welfare-for-drug-felonshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/07/30/states-rethink-restrictions-on-food-stamps-welfare-for-drug-felonshttps://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdfhttps://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdf


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Child poverty

Poverty and inequality

In July 2014, he Disric o Columbiaopped he chars in erms o saeparicipaion in he Summer Food

Service Program, or SFSP. Te SFSP

provides unding o public and privae

nonprofi schools, local governmens,

Naional Youh Spors programs, and

privae nonprofi organizaions o

serve snacks and meals or low-income

children. In D.C., nearly hree in five

eligible children benefi rom summer

nuriion programs, compared o

ewer han one in five eligible children

naionwide.2oday, nearly 24 million

children naionwide live in low-income

working amilies.3Programs such as he

SFSP suppor summer educaional and

recreaional programs, which help keep

children healhy and acive during he

summer monhs. A he same, he SFSP

keeps amilies rom alling deeper ino

povery by alleviaing some o he coss

associaed wih child care and childrens

nuriion during he summer.

In Louisiana, he share o poor childrenassised by he saes ANF programshrunk o an all-ime low o 3.1 percen

in 2014.4Louisiana spen jus one-hird

o is ANF undshe lowes share

o any saeon cash assisance or

needy amilies5and insead divered

program resources o oher purposes.6

Louisiana is jus one o he 25 saes

where ewer han 20 percen o poor

children receive ANF;7he programs

shrinking reach coincides wih a sharp

rise in exreme povery.8wo decades

afer ederal cash assisance or amilies

was convered ino he ANF block

gran, Louisiana provides one o many

examples showing ha children have

been he primary vicims.9By allowing

nearly 28 percen o is children o grow

up in povery, he saes policymakers

ignore abundan evidence ha povery

can inflic lasing harm on childrens

healh, damage long-erm educaional

and employmen oucomes, and hamper

brain developmen.10

The good


Share of children under age 18 in related families who had incomes below the poverty line$23,834 for a family of fourin 2

U.S. child poverty rate:

20.7%1



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State Income inequality rank Inequality ratio

Alaska 1 11.3%

Utah 2 11.5%

Wyoming 3 11.6%

Nebraska 4 12.1%New Hampshire 5 12.3%

Wisconsin 6 12.3%

Vermont 7 12.7%

Iowa 8 12.8%

Nevada 9 12.9%


Indiana 11 13.1%

Hawaii 12 13.2%

Idaho 13 13.3%

Minnesota 14 13.6%

Montana 15 13.7%

Delaware 16 13.9%

Kansas 17 13.9%


Maryland 19 14.0%

Colorado 20 14.1%

Washington 21 14.2%

Maine 22 14.2%

Michigan 23 14.6%

Oregon 24 14.6%

Arkansas 25 14.7%


State Income inequality rank Inequality ratio

Oklahoma 27 14.7%

Missouri 28 14.8%

Ohio 29 15.1%




Arizona 33 15.4%

Virginia 34 15.5%

Kentucky 35 15.8%

Florida 36 15.9%

Tennessee 37 16.0%

Texas 38 16.4%

Alabama 39 16.5%

Illinois 40 16.5%

Mississippi 41 16.5%New Jersey 42 16.7%

Georgia 43 16.7%

New Mexico 44 17.4%

California 45 17.5%


Louisiana 47 18.3%


Connecticut 49 18.6%

New York 50 20.5%


Source: Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey(U.S. Department of Commerce, 2014), Table B19082.

Endnotes

1 Authors analysis of Bureau of the Census, TableB19082: Shares of Aggregate Household Income byQuintile: 2014, available at http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B19082&prodType=table (last accessed February 2016).

2 Benn Wolcott, 2014 Job Creation Faster in States thatRaised the Minimum Wage, Center for Economic andPolicy Research, June 30, 2014, available at http://cepr.net/blogs/cepr-blog/2014-job-creation-in-states-that-raised-the-minimum-wage.

3 National Employment Law Project, New Poll ShowsOverwhelming Support for Major Minimum WageIncrease, Press release, January 15, 2015, available athttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/PR-Federal-Minimum-Wage-Poll-Jan-2015.pdf.

4 John Arensmeyer, Small businesses support boostin gminimum wage,The Hill, July 31, 2015, available athttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/labor/249857-small-businesses-support-boosting-minimum-wage.

5 Ross Eisenbrey, Businesses AgreeI ts Time to Raisethe Minimum Wage, Economic Policy Institute, Oc-tober 20, 2014, available at http://www.epi.org/blog/businesses-agree-time-raise-minimum-wage/.

6 Gov. Walker has been an outspoken opponent ofcollective bargaining, gaining notoriety after publicly

taking on K-12 teachers unions in 2011. See StevenGreenhouse, Wisconsins Legacy for Unions, The NewYork Times, February 22, 2014, available athttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/business/wisconsins-legacy-for-unions.html?_r=0. More recently, the governorturned his attention to Wisconsins public universities,launching an attack on tenure protections. See ValerieStrauss, Gov. Scott Walker savages Wisconsin publiceducation in new budget, The Washington Post, July13, 2015, available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/13/gov-scott-walker-savages-wisconsin-public-education-in-new-budget/.

7 Brendan Duke and Alex Rowell, Wisconsin, Unions,and the Middle Class (Washington: Center forAmerican Progress, 2015), available athttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/re-port/2015/11/10/125252/wisconsin-unions-and-the-middle-class/.

8 Jim Zarroli, Targeting Unions: Right-To-WorkMovement Bolstered By Wisconsin, NPR,March 11, 2015, available at http://www.npr.org/2015/03/11/392373328/targeting-unions-right-to-work-movement-bolstered-by-wisconsin.

9 Karla Walter and Jackie Odum, Right-to-Work TakesUs in the Wrong Direction, Center for AmericanProgress Action Fund, May 14, 2015, available athttps://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/labor/

news/2015/05/14/113164/right-to-work-takes-us-ithe-wrong-direction/.

10 Brendan OBrien, Wisconsin lawmakers pass stateget, partial repeal of prevailing wage law, Reuters,9, 2015, available at http://www.reuters.com/articus-usa-budget-wisconsin-idUSKCN0PJ0OZ2015070

11 U.S. Department of Labor, Minimum Wage Laws ithe States - January 1, 2016, available at http://wwdol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Wisconsin (laccessed February 2016).

12 Research strongly links collect ive bargaining rightto higher wages, the growth of the middle class, anupward economic mobility. See Richard Freeman others, What Do Unions Do for the Middle Class?(Washington: Center for American Progress, 2016)available at https://www.americanprogress.org/issueconomy/report/2016/01/13/128366/what-do-unido-for-the-middle-class/.

13 Walter and Odum, Right-to-Work Takes Us in theWrong Direction.

14 Kevin Duncan and Alex Lantsberg, Prevailing wagrepeal would hurt the Michigan economy, TheDetroit News, July 29, 2015, available athttp://wwwdetroitnews.com/story/opinion/2015/07/28/repealprevailing-wage-law/30795085/ .

State rankings: Income inequality

http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B19082&prodType=tablehttp://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B19082&prodType=tablehttp://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B19082&prodType=tablehttp://cepr.net/blogs/cepr-blog/2014-job-creation-in-states-that-raised-the-minimum-wagehttp://cepr.net/blogs/cepr-blog/2014-job-creation-in-states-that-raised-the-minimum-wagehttp://cepr.net/blogs/cepr-blog/2014-job-creation-in-states-that-raised-the-minimum-wagehttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/PR-Federal-Minimum-Wage-Poll-Jan-2015.pdfhttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/PR-Federal-Minimum-Wage-Poll-Jan-2015.pdfhttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/labor/249857-small-businesses-support-boosting-minimum-wagehttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/labor/249857-small-businesses-support-boosting-minimum-wagehttp://www.epi.org/blog/businesses-agree-time-raise-minimum-wage/http://www.epi.org/blog/businesses-agree-time-raise-minimum-wage/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/business/wisconsins-legacy-for-unions.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/business/wisconsins-legacy-for-unions.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/business/wisconsins-legacy-for-unions.html?_r=0https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/13/gov-scott-walker-savages-wisconsin-public-education-in-new-budget/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/13/gov-scott-walker-savages-wisconsin-public-education-in-new-budget/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/13/gov-scott-walker-savages-wisconsin-public-education-in-new-budget/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/13/gov-scott-walker-savages-wisconsin-public-education-in-new-budget/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/11/10/125252/wisconsin-unions-and-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/11/10/125252/wisconsin-unions-and-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/11/10/125252/wisconsin-unions-and-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/11/10/125252/wisconsin-unions-and-the-middle-class/http://www.npr.org/2015/03/11/392373328/targeting-unions-right-to-work-movement-bolstered-by-wisconsinhttp://www.npr.org/2015/03/11/392373328/targeting-unions-right-to-work-movement-bolstered-by-wisconsinhttp://www.npr.org/2015/03/11/392373328/targeting-unions-right-to-work-movement-bolstered-by-wisconsinhttps://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/labor/news/2015/05/14/113164/right-to-work-takes-us-in-the-wrong-direction/https://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/labor/news/2015/05/14/113164/right-to-work-takes-us-in-the-wrong-direction/https://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/labor/news/2015/05/14/113164/right-to-work-takes-us-in-the-wrong-direction/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-wisconsin-idUSKCN0PJ0OZ20150709http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-wisconsin-idUSKCN0PJ0OZ20150709http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Wisconsinhttp://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Wisconsinhttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2016/01/13/128366/what-do-unions-do-for-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2016/01/13/128366/what-do-unions-do-for-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2016/01/13/128366/what-do-unions-do-for-the-middle-class/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2015/07/28/repeal-prevailing-wage-law/30795085/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2015/07/28/repeal-prevailing-wage-law/30795085/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2015/07/28/repeal-prevailing-wage-law/30795085/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2015/07/28/repeal-prevailing-wage-law/30795085/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2015/07/28/repeal-prevailing-wage-law/30795085/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2015/07/28/repeal-prevailing-wage-law/30795085/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2016/01/13/128366/what-do-unions-do-for-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2016/01/13/128366/what-do-unions-do-for-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2016/01/13/128366/what-do-unions-do-for-the-middle-class/http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Wisconsinhttp://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Wisconsinhttp://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-wisconsin-idUSKCN0PJ0OZ20150709http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-wisconsin-idUSKCN0PJ0OZ20150709https://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/labor/news/2015/05/14/113164/right-to-work-takes-us-in-the-wrong-direction/https://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/labor/news/2015/05/14/113164/right-to-work-takes-us-in-the-wrong-direction/https://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/labor/news/2015/05/14/113164/right-to-work-takes-us-in-the-wrong-direction/http://www.npr.org/2015/03/11/392373328/targeting-unions-right-to-work-movement-bolstered-by-wisconsinhttp://www.npr.org/2015/03/11/392373328/targeting-unions-right-to-work-movement-bolstered-by-wisconsinhttp://www.npr.org/2015/03/11/392373328/targeting-unions-right-to-work-movement-bolstered-by-wisconsinhttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/11/10/125252/wisconsin-unions-and-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/11/10/125252/wisconsin-unions-and-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/11/10/125252/wisconsin-unions-and-the-middle-class/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/11/10/125252/wisconsin-unions-and-the-middle-class/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/13/gov-scott-walker-savages-wisconsin-public-education-in-new-budget/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/13/gov-scott-walker-savages-wisconsin-public-education-in-new-budget/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/13/gov-scott-walker-savages-wisconsin-public-education-in-new-budget/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/13/gov-scott-walker-savages-wisconsin-public-education-in-new-budget/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/business/wisconsins-legacy-for-unions.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/business/wisconsins-legacy-for-unions.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/business/wisconsins-legacy-for-unions.html?_r=0http://www.epi.org/blog/businesses-agree-time-raise-minimum-wage/http://www.epi.org/blog/businesses-agree-time-raise-minimum-wage/http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/labor/249857-small-businesses-support-boosting-minimum-wagehttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/labor/249857-small-businesses-support-boosting-minimum-wagehttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/PR-Federal-Minimum-Wage-Poll-Jan-2015.pdfhttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/PR-Federal-Minimum-Wage-Poll-Jan-2015.pdfhttp://cepr.net/blogs/cepr-blog/2014-job-creation-in-states-that-raised-the-minimum-wagehttp://cepr.net/blogs/cepr-blog/2014-job-creation-in-states-that-raised-the-minimum-wagehttp://cepr.net/blogs/cepr-blog/2014-job-creation-in-states-that-raised-the-minimum-wagehttp://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B19082&prodType=tablehttp://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B19082&prodType=tablehttp://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B19082&prodType=table


12/191


13/191


14/191

Higher education attainment

Jobs and education

During he Grea Recession,public colleges and universiiesook a major financial hi as many sae

legislaures slashed higher-educaion

budges. Te pain was passed down o

sudens and heir amilies in he orm

o higher uiion and ees, resuling in

an ou-o-pocke cos increase o 28

percen beween 2008 and 2013.2While

many saes have been slow o reverse

auseriy, ohers have begun o walk back

uiion increases ied o recession-era

budge cus. In 2015, Washingon sae

lawmakers aced o cu uiion 15 percen

o 20 percen a he saes public our-

year colleges and 5 percen a is public

communiy colleges over he nex wo

years.3By enabling prospecive sudens

o access affordable educaion and

raining, sae lawmakers are increasing

young Washingonians chances a

securing beter jobs and a brigher uure.

In 2015, Wisconsin Gov. Scot Walker(R) cu unding or he Universiyo Wisconsin sysem by a colossal $250

million, despie a 21 percen rise in

uiion since 2008.4Adding insul o

injury as he pu college ou o reach or

many sudens, Gov. Walker approved

exacly his same amoun in axpayer

money o build a new arena or he

Milwaukee Bucks baskeball eam.5

Inall bu wo saes, higher-educaion

spending per suden remains below

pre-recession levels, bu Wisconsin was

one o only eigh saes ha coninued o

cu spending beween 2013 and 2014.6

A highly educaed workorce is criical o

uure prosperiy: College-educaed ull-

ime workers ages 25 o 32 earn abou

$17,500 more per yearand pay more in

axeshan heir high school-educaed

counerpars.7By shrinking invesmen in

higher educaion, he saes policymakersare shorchanging all Wisconsinies.

The good


Share of young adults ages 25 to 34 who had an associates degree or higher from 2011 to 2013

U.S. higher education attainme

42.3%



15/191

State

Associate's degree

or higher rank

Share with associates

degree or higher



Minnesota 3 51.5%New York 4 50.8%


New Jersey 6 48.6%

Iowa 7 47.4%

Connecticut 8 47.0%

Vermont 8 47.0%

Illinois 10 46.5%

Virginia 10 46.5%

Maryland 12 46.2%

Colorado 13 45.8%

Nebraska 14 45.6%





Wisconsin 19 43.2%

Kansas 20 42.9%

Washington 21 42.1%

Hawaii 22 41.4%

Utah 23 41.1%

Missouri 24 40.6%

Montana 25 40.3%

Ohio 26 40.0%

State

Associate's degree

or higher rank

Share with associate

degree or higher

Delaware 27 39.8%

Maine 28 39.6%

California 29 39.3%North Carolina 29 39.3%

Michigan 31 39.0%

Oregon 32 38.9%

Florida 33 37.8%

Indiana 34 37.4%

Wyoming 35 37.3%

Georgia 36 36.5%


Tennessee 38 35.1%

Arizona 39 34.9%

Idaho 40 34.8%

Kentucky 40 34.8%

Texas 42 34.4%

Alabama 43 33.7%

Oklahoma 44 33.4%

Alaska 45 33.0%



Louisiana 48 31.4%

New Mexico 49 31.2%

Arkansas 50 30.0%

Nevada 51 29.5%

Source: Analysis of data from the Bu reau of the Census,American Community Survey: 2013 3-year estimate(U.S. Department of Commerce, 2014), Table B15001.

Endnotes

1 Authors analysis of Bureau of the Census, TableB15001: Sex by Age by Educational Attainment forthe Population 18 Years and Over: 2014, availableat http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B15001&prodType=table.

2 Jeff Guo, College will soon be a ton cheaper inWashington state. Thank Microsoft,The WashingtonPost, July 2, 2015, available athttps://www.wash-ingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/07/02/college-will-soon-be-a-ton-cheaper-in-washington-state-thank-microsoft/.

3 These tuition cuts were part of a nearly $200 millionincrease in state funding to higher education. SeeGuo, College will soon be a ton cheaper in Washing-ton state.

4 Michael Mitchell, Vincent Palacios, and Michael Leach-man, States Are Still Funding Higher Education BelowPre-Recession Levels (Washington: Center on Budgetand Policy Priorities, 2014), available athttp://www.cbpp.org/research/states-are-still-funding-higher-education-below-pre-recession-levels.

5 Steven Salzberg, Scott Walker Takes $250 MillionFrom U. Wisconsin, Gives $250M To BillionaireSports Team Owners, Forbes, August 14, 2015,

available athttp://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenszberg/2015/08/14/scott-walker-takes-250-millionfrom-u-wisconsin-gives-250m-to-billionaire-sporteam-owners/#585d40b95a09.

6 Mitchell, Palacios, and Leachman, States Are StillFunding Higher Education Below Pre-RecessionLevels.

7 Pew Research Center, The Rising Cost of NotGo-ing to College (2014), available at http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2014/02/SDT-higher-eFINAL-02-11-2014.pdf.

State rankings: Higher education attainment rate

http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B15001&prodType=tablehttp://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B15001&prodType=tablehttp://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B15001&prodType=tablehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/07/02/college-will-soon-be-a-ton-cheaper-in-washington-state-thank-microsoft/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/07/02/college-will-soon-be-a-ton-cheaper-in-washington-state-thank-microsoft/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/07/02/college-will-soon-be-a-ton-cheaper-in-washington-state-thank-microsoft/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/07/02/college-will-soon-be-a-ton-cheaper-in-washington-state-thank-microsoft/http://www.cbpp.org/research/states-are-still-funding-higher-education-below-pre-recession-levelshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/states-are-still-funding-higher-education-below-pre-recession-levelshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/states-are-still-funding-higher-education-below-pre-recession-levelshttp://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2015/08/14/scott-walker-takes-250-million-from-u-wisconsin-gives-250m-to-billionaire-sports-team-owners/#585d40b95a09http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2015/08/14/scott-walker-takes-250-million-from-u-wisconsin-gives-250m-to-billionaire-sports-team-owners/#585d40b95a09http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2015/08/14/scott-walker-takes-250-million-from-u-wisconsin-gives-250m-to-billionaire-sports-team-owners/#585d40b95a09http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2015/08/14/scott-walker-takes-250-million-from-u-wisconsin-gives-250m-to-billionaire-sports-team-owners/#585d40b95a09http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2014/02/SDT-higher-ed-FINAL-02-11-2014.pdfhttp://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2014/02/SDT-higher-ed-FINAL-02-11-2014.pdfhttp://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2014/02/SDT-higher-ed-FINAL-02-11-2014.pdfhttp://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2014/02/SDT-higher-ed-FINAL-02-11-2014.pdfhttp://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2014/02/SDT-higher-ed-FINAL-02-11-2014.pdfhttp://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2014/02/SDT-higher-ed-FINAL-02-11-2014.pdfhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2015/08/14/scott-walker-takes-250-million-from-u-wisconsin-gives-250m-to-billionaire-sports-team-owners/#585d40b95a09http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2015/08/14/scott-walker-takes-250-million-from-u-wisconsin-gives-250m-to-billionaire-sports-team-owners/#585d40b95a09http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2015/08/14/scott-walker-takes-250-million-from-u-wisconsin-gives-250m-to-billionaire-sports-team-owners/#585d40b95a09http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2015/08/14/scott-walker-takes-250-million-from-u-wisconsin-gives-250m-to-billionaire-sports-team-owners/#585d40b95a09http://www.cbpp.org/research/states-are-still-funding-higher-education-below-pre-recession-levelshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/states-are-still-funding-higher-education-below-pre-recession-levelshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/states-are-still-funding-higher-education-below-pre-recession-levelshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/07/02/college-will-soon-be-a-ton-cheaper-in-washington-state-thank-microsoft/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/07/02/college-will-soon-be-a-ton-cheaper-in-washington-state-thank-microsoft/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/07/02/college-will-soon-be-a-ton-cheaper-in-washington-state-thank-microsoft/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/07/02/college-will-soon-be-a-ton-cheaper-in-washington-state-thank-microsoft/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B15001&prodType=tablehttp://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B15001&prodType=tablehttp://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B15001&prodType=table


16/191


17/191

State

Disconnected

youth rank

Share of youth who are

disconnected

North Dakota 1 8%

Iowa 2 9%

Nebraska 2 9%

Massachusetts 4 10%

Minnesota 4 10%

Kansas 6 11%

New Hampshire 6 11%

Rhode Island 6 11%

South Dakota 6 11%

Vermont 6 11%

Colorado 11 12%

Connecticut 11 12%

Maine 11 12%

Wisconsin 11 12%

Hawaii 15 13%

New Jersey 15 13%

Maryland 17 14%

Missouri 17 14%

New York 17 14%

Pennsylvania 17 14%

Utah 17 14%

Virginia 17 14%

Alaska 23 15%

California 23 15%

Delaware 23 15%

Illinois 23 15%

State

Disconnected

youth rank

Share of youth who a

disconnected

Indiana 23 15%

Montana 23 15%

Ohio 23 15%

Washington 23 15%

Wyoming 23 15%

Idaho 32 16%

Michigan 32 16%

North Carolina 32 16%

District of Columbia 35 17%

Florida 35 17%

Kentucky 35 17%

Oregon 35 17%

South Carolina 35 17%

Texas 35 17%

Oklahoma 41 18%

Arkansas 42 19%

Georgia 42 19%

Tennessee 42 19%

Arizona 45 20%

New Mexico 45 20%

Alabama 47 21%

Mississippi 47 21%

West Virginia 47 21%

Louisiana 50 22%

Nevada 50 22%

Source: Kids Count Data Center, Persons Age 18 to 24 Not Attending School, Not Working, and No Degree Beyond H igh School, available at http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school (last accessed September 2015).

Endnotes

1 Kids Count Data Center, Persons Age 18 to 24 Not At-tending School, Not Working, and No Degree BeyondHigh School: 2013, available at http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485 (last accessed February 2016).

2 Ben Olinsky and Sarah Ayres, Training for Success:

A Policy to Expand Apprenticeships in the UnitedStates (Washington: Center for American Progress,2013), available athttps://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/apprenticeship_re-port.pdf.

3 Angela Hanks and Ethan Gurwitz, How States AreExpanding Apprenticeship (Washington: Center forAmerican, 2016), available at https://www.american-progress.org/issues/labor/report/2016/02/09/130750/how-states-are-expanding-apprenticeship/.

4 Zenen Jaimes Prez, States Must Expand Higher-Ed-ucation Opportunities for Undocu mented Students(Washington: Center for American Progress, 2015),available at https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2015/03/13/108672/

states-must-expand-higher-education-opportunities-for-undocumented-students/.

5 Zenen Jaimes Prez, Removing Barriers to HigherEducation for Undocumented Students (Washington:Center for American Progress, 2014), available athttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigra-tion/report/2014/12/05/101366/removing-barriers-to-higher-education-for-undocumented-students/.

6 One study of Californias unauthorized immigrantstudents found that nearly 9 in 10 came from low-income backgrounds, compared with fewer than 4 in10 authorized students. In addition to other b arriersthey face, low incomes put u nauthorized youth atgreater risk for disconnection. See Veronica Terriquezand Caitlin Patler, Aspiring Americans: Undocu-mented Youth Leaders in California (Los Angeles: AllCampus Consortium on Research for Diversity, 2012),available at http://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/731/docs/AspiringAmericansEnglish.pdf.

7 Latino Policy Institute, The Effects of In-StateTuition for Non-Citizens: A Systematic Review of theEvidence (Providence, RI: Roger Williams University,2011), available at http://www.rwu.edu/sites/default/

files/lpi-report.pdf.

8 Dylan Conger and Lindsey J. Turner, The Impactof Tuition Increases on Undocumented CollegeStudents Attainment. Working Paper 21135 (NatBureau for Economic Research, 2015), available athttp://www.nber.org/papers/w21135.

9 National Conference of State Legislatures, TuitioBenefits for Immigrants, July 15, 2015, available ahttp://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/tuitiobenefits-for-immigrants.aspx.

10 Bobby Cervantes, Senate panel approves TexasDream Act repeal, Houston Chronicle, April 7, 201available athttp://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/Senate-panel-approveTexas-Dream-Act-repeal-6183842.php.

11 DREAM is an acronym for Development, Relief, anEducation for Alien Minors. See Prez, RemovingBarriers to Higher Education for UndocumentedStudents.

12 Prez, States Must Expand Higher-Education Opportunities for Undocu mented Students.

State rankings: Disconnected youth

http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/apprenticeship_report.pdfhttps://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/apprenticeship_report.pdfhttps://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/apprenticeship_report.pdfhttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2016/02/09/130750/how-states-are-expanding-apprenticeship/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2016/02/09/130750/how-states-are-expanding-apprenticeship/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2016/02/09/130750/how-states-are-expanding-apprenticeship/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2015/03/13/108672/states-must-expand-higher-education-opportunities-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2015/03/13/108672/states-must-expand-higher-education-opportunities-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2015/03/13/108672/states-must-expand-higher-education-opportunities-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2015/03/13/108672/states-must-expand-higher-education-opportunities-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2014/12/05/101366/removing-barriers-to-higher-education-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2014/12/05/101366/removing-barriers-to-higher-education-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2014/12/05/101366/removing-barriers-to-higher-education-for-undocumented-students/http://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/731/docs/AspiringAmericansEnglish.pdfhttp://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/731/docs/AspiringAmericansEnglish.pdfhttp://www.rwu.edu/sites/default/files/lpi-report.pdfhttp://www.rwu.edu/sites/default/files/lpi-report.pdfhttp://www.nber.org/papers/w21135http://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/tuition-benefits-for-immigrants.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/tuition-benefits-for-immigrants.aspxhttp://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/Senate-panel-approves-Texas-Dream-Act-repeal-6183842.phphttp://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/Senate-panel-approves-Texas-Dream-Act-repeal-6183842.phphttp://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/Senate-panel-approves-Texas-Dream-Act-repeal-6183842.phphttp://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/Senate-panel-approves-Texas-Dream-Act-repeal-6183842.phphttp://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/Senate-panel-approves-Texas-Dream-Act-repeal-6183842.phphttp://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/Senate-panel-approves-Texas-Dream-Act-repeal-6183842.phphttp://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/tuition-benefits-for-immigrants.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/tuition-benefits-for-immigrants.aspxhttp://www.nber.org/papers/w21135http://www.rwu.edu/sites/default/files/lpi-report.pdfhttp://www.rwu.edu/sites/default/files/lpi-report.pdfhttp://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/731/docs/AspiringAmericansEnglish.pdfhttp://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/731/docs/AspiringAmericansEnglish.pdfhttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2014/12/05/101366/removing-barriers-to-higher-education-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2014/12/05/101366/removing-barriers-to-higher-education-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2014/12/05/101366/removing-barriers-to-higher-education-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2015/03/13/108672/states-must-expand-higher-education-opportunities-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2015/03/13/108672/states-must-expand-higher-education-opportunities-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2015/03/13/108672/states-must-expand-higher-education-opportunities-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2015/03/13/108672/states-must-expand-higher-education-opportunities-for-undocumented-students/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2016/02/09/130750/how-states-are-expanding-apprenticeship/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2016/02/09/130750/how-states-are-expanding-apprenticeship/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2016/02/09/130750/how-states-are-expanding-apprenticeship/https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/apprenticeship_report.pdfhttps://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/apprenticeship_report.pdfhttps://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/apprenticeship_report.pdfhttp://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1#detailed/2/2-52/false/36/any/11485


18/191


19/191


20/191

Gender wage gap

Jobs and education

Sixy percen o he naionscaregivers are women.2Caregivingresponsibiliies make women more likely

o reduce working hours or exi he

paid workorce3acors ha explain

abou 10 percen o he gender wage

gap.4Access o sick leave when hey or a

loved one is injured or alls ill is hereore

paricularly imporan or women, ye

he Family and Medical Leave Ac only

provides job securiy and unpaid ime

off or some workers. In 2014, Rhode

Island became he hird sae o figh

or equal pay by implemening paid

leave legislaion, exending paid amily

and medical leave o more han hree-

quarers o is workers.5Sudies show

ha access o paid leave raises womens

labor orce paricipaion and wages 12

monhs afer childbirh.6Rhode Islands

workerso all genderscan now

atend o caregiving needs wihou ear

o losing vial income or employmen.

Alhough women make up less hanhal o he naions workorce,hey represen wo-hirds o low-wage

workers.7For his reason, policies ha

benefi low-paid workerssuch as

minimum-wage and paid leave laws

end o have larger effecs on women,

shrinking he gender wage gap. In

recen years, conservaive-dominaed

sae legislaures have prevened local

governmens rom enacing such policies

using a sraegy called pre-empion.8

Alabama, which has he naions

sixh-larges gender wage gap, passed

legislaion in 2014 banning ciies and

counies rom insiuing heir own paid

sick leave policies. Te ollowing year,

when Birmingham became he firs Deep

Souh ciy o pass a minimum-wage law,

Alabamas sae lawmakers riedbu

ailedo pre-emp local minimum

wages.9By batling local policies ha

benefi low-wage workers, saes such as

Alabama help perpeuae womens wage

disadvanage.

The good


Womens median earnings for every dollar of mens median earnings among full-time, year-round workers in 2014

U.S. gender wage gap:

79.9 cent



21/191


22/191


23/191

State Foster care rank Kids in foster care

Virginia 1 2

Delaware 2 3

Georgia 2 3

Idaho 2 3

Maryland 2 3

New Hampshire 2 3

New Jersey 2 3

South Carolina 2 3

Utah 2 3

Alabama 10 4

Colorado 10 4

Connecticut 10 4

Florida 10 4

Hawaii 10 4Louisiana 10 4

Minnesota 10 4

New Mexico 10 4

North Carolina 10 4

Texas 10 4

Arkansas 20 5

Illinois 20 5

Mississippi 20 5

New York 20 5

Ohio 20 5

Pennsylvania 20 5

Tennessee 20 5

State Foster care rank Kids in foster care

Wisconsin 20 5

California 28 6

Massachusetts 28 6

Michigan 28 6

South Dakota 28 6

Washington 28 6

Indiana 33 7

Kentucky 33 7

Maine 33 7

Nevada 33 7

North Dakota 33 7

Wyoming 33 7

Missouri 39 8

Rhode Island 39 8

Vermont 39 8

Arizona 42 9

District of Columbia 42 9

Iowa 42 9

Kansas 42 9

Nebraska 42 9

Oregon 42 9

Alaska 48 10

Montana 48 10

Oklahoma 50 11

West Virginia 50 11

Source: Kids Count Data Center, Children 0 to 17 in Foster Care, available at http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/6242-children-0-to-17-in-foster-care (last accessed Septem

Endnotes

1 Kids Count Data Center, Children 0 to 17 in FosterCare, available at http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/6242-children-0-to-17-in-foster-#detailed/1/any/false/36/any/12985,12986 (lastaccessed February 2016).

2 Melissa Boteach and Rebecca Vallas, 3 Facts YouNeed to Know About the Obama Administra-

tions Proposed Child Support Rules, Center forAmerican Progress, June 18, 2015, available athttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2015/06/18/115417/3-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-obama-administrations-proposed-child-support-rules/.

3 Specifically, the program reduces child supportdebt owed to the state. See Kansas Department forChildren and Families, Child Support Services: ChildSupport Savings Initiative (CSSI) Program, available athttp://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/CSS/Pages/529.aspx(last accessed February 2016).

4 William Elliott, Hyun-a Song, and Ilsung Nam, Small-Dollar Childrens Savings Accounts and ChildrensCollege Outcomes by Income Level, Children andYouth Services Review35 (3) (2013): 572585.

5 Shawn Fremstad and Melissa Boteach, Valuing AllOur Families: Progressive Policies that StrengthenFamily Commitments and Reduce Family Disparities

(Washington: Center for American Progress, 2015),available at https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2015/01/12/104149/valuing-all-our-families/.

6 Rebecca Vallas and others, Removing Barriers to Op-portunity for Parents with Criminal Records and TheirChildren (Washington: Center for American Progress,2015), available at https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/09060720/CriminalRe-cords-report2.pdf.

7 Boteach and Vallas, 3 Facts You Need to Know Aboutthe Obama Administrations Proposed Child SupportRules.

8 Ibid.

9 Based on the status of states laws and interpretaas of 2012. See Office of Child Support EnforcemeRealistic Child Support Orders for Incarcerated Pare(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,2012), available athttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocse/realistic_child_support_ordersincarcerated_parents.pdf.

10 Rebecca Vallas and Sharon Dietrich, One Strike aYoure Out: How We Can Eliminate Barriers to Economic Security and Mobility for People with CrimRecords (Washington: Center for American Prog2014), available athttps://cdn.americanprogress.wp-content/uploads/2014/12/VallasCriminalRecosReport.pdf.

11 Carmen Solomon-Fears, Alison M. Smith, and CarBerry, Child Support Enforcement: Incarceration the Last Resort Penalty For Nonpayment of Supp(Washington: Congressional Research Service, 20available athttp://www.ncsea.org/documents/CRReport-on-CSE-and-Incarceration-for-Non-PaymeMarch-6-2012.pdf.

State rankings: Children living apart from parents

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2015/06/18/115417/3-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-obama-administrations-proposed-child-support-rules/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2015/06/18/115417/3-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-obama-administrations-proposed-child-support-rules/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2015/06/18/115417/3-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-obama-administrations-proposed-child-support-rules/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2015/06/18/115417/3-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-obama-administrations-proposed-child-support-rules/http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/CSS/Pages/529.aspxhttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2015/01/12/104149/valuing-all-our-families/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2015/01/12/104149/valuing-all-our-families/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2015/01/12/104149/valuing-all-our-families/https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/09060720/CriminalRecords-report2.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/09060720/CriminalRecords-report2.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/09060720/CriminalRecords-report2.pdfhttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocse/realistic_child_support_orders_for_incarcerated_parents.pdfhttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocse/realistic_child_support_orders_for_incarcerated_parents.pdfhttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocse/realistic_child_support_orders_for_incarcerated_parents.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/VallasCriminalRecordsReport.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/VallasCriminalRecordsReport.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/VallasCriminalRecordsReport.pdfhttp://www.ncsea.org/documents/CRS-Report-on-CSE-and-Incarceration-for-Non-Payment-March-6-2012.pdfhttp://www.ncsea.org/documents/CRS-Report-on-CSE-and-Incarceration-for-Non-Payment-March-6-2012.pdfhttp://www.ncsea.org/documents/CRS-Report-on-CSE-and-Incarceration-for-Non-Payment-March-6-2012.pdfhttp://www.ncsea.org/documents/CRS-Report-on-CSE-and-Incarceration-for-Non-Payment-March-6-2012.pdfhttp://www.ncsea.org/documents/CRS-Report-on-CSE-and-Incarceration-for-Non-Payment-March-6-2012.pdfhttp://www.ncsea.org/documents/CRS-Report-on-CSE-and-Incarceration-for-Non-Payment-March-6-2012.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/VallasCriminalRecordsReport.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/VallasCriminalRecordsReport.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/VallasCriminalRecordsReport.pdfhttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocse/realistic_child_support_orders_for_incarcerated_parents.pdfhttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocse/realistic_child_support_orders_for_incarcerated_parents.pdfhttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocse/realistic_child_support_orders_for_incarcerated_parents.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/09060720/CriminalRecords-report2.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/09060720/CriminalRecords-report2.pdfhttps://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/09060720/CriminalRecords-report2.pdfhttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2015/01/12/104149/valuing-all-our-families/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2015/01/12/104149/valuing-all-our-families/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2015/01/12/104149/valuing-all-our-families/http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/CSS/Pages/529.aspxhttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2015/06/18/115417/3-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-obama-administrations-proposed-child-support-rules/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2015/06/18/115417/3-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-obama-administrations-proposed-child-support-rules/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2015/06/18/115417/3-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-obama-administrations-proposed-child-support-rules/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2015/06/18/115417/3-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-obama-administrations-proposed-child-support-rules/


24/191

Teen birth rate

Family stability and strength

Since he 1990s, many saes havebroadened eligibiliy requiremensor coverage o amily planning services

under he Medicaid program. Tese

services expand access o conracepion

and help amilies avoid uninended

pregnancies. Drawing lessons rom his

successul expansion, Congress included

a provision in he 2010 Affordable Care

Ac, or ACA, ha grans saes he opion

o exend Medicaid o cover addiional

opional populaions and services.2

In 2014, New Hampshire became one

o he 28 saes ha have now aken

advanage o his ACA provision. Te

sae expanded is income eligibiliy

requiremen o individuals living a or

below 201 percen o he ederal povery

lineabou $23,760 per year or a single

persongiving a greaer share o he

saes low-income eens and young

aduls access o conracepion and amily

planning services.3

In 2014, exas led a campaignagains womens reproduciverighs. A law scheduled o ake effec in

2014currenly being challenged in

he Supreme Courwould orce he

closure o clinics ha provide low-cos

healh services unless hey comply wih

expensive, unnecessary resricions.4

Te law represens an emerging sraegy

in saes o undermine womens righ

o aborion.5I i akes effec, he

overwhelming majoriy o aborion

providers in he sae will be orced

o shu down.6exas move creaes

paricular hardship or low-income and

young women, who can leas afford high

coss and long-disance ravel o access

criical healh serv ices, prevenive care,

and conracepion.

The good


Number of births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19 in 2013

U.S. births per 1,000 teen wome

26.51



25/191

State Teen birth rate rank

Births per 1,000

teen women

Massachusetts 1 12.1

New Hampshire 2 12.6

Connecticut 3 12.9Vermont 4 14.5

New Jersey 5 14.8

Minnesota 6 16.8

Maine 7 17.4

New York 8 17.7

Rhode Island 8 17.7

Maryland 10 19.4

Wisconsin 11 19.6

Virginia 12 20.1

Washington 13 20.5

Utah 14 20.6

Pennsylvania 15 20.9

Oregon 16 21.6

Iowa 17 22.1

Colorado 18 23.4

California 19 23.6

Michigan 19 23.6

North Dakota 21 24.1

Florida 22 24.6

Illinois 22 24.6

Delaware 24 24.7

Nebraska 25 24.9

Hawaii 26 25.1

State Teen birth rate rank

Births per 1,000

teen women

Idaho 27 25.7

Ohio 28 27.2

Montana 29 27.9North Carolina 30 28.4

South Dakota 31 29.1

Kansas 32 29.6

Wyoming 32 29.6

Missouri 34 30.0

Alaska 35 30.3

Indiana 35 30.3

Nevada 35 30.3

Georgia 38 30.5

South Carolina 39 31.6

District of Columbia 40 32.1

Arizona 41 33.1

Alabama 42 34.3

Tennessee 43 34.7

Louisiana 44 39.2

Kentucky 45 39.5

West Virginia 46 40.1

Texas 47 41.0

Mississippi 48 42.6

Oklahoma 49 42.9

New Mexico 50 43.3

Arkansas 51 43.5

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Vital Statistics System, available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf (last accessed September 201

Endnotes

1 Joyce A. Martin and others, Births: Final Data for2013,National Vital Statistics Report64 (1) (2015):165.

2 National Conference of State Legislatures, AffordableCare Act Medicaid Expansion, January 13, 2016,available at http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/affordable-care-act-expansion.aspx.

3 Guttmacher Institute, State Policies in Brief (2016),available at http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_SMFPE.pdf.

4 Ian Millhiser, Texas Devious Plan To SilentlyKill Roe v. Wade, ThinkProgress, January 29,2016, available at http://thinkprogress.org/jus-tice/2016/01/29/3743702/texas-devious-plan-to-silently-kill-roe-v-wade/.

5 Kim Soffen, How Texas Could Set National Templatefor Limiting Abortion Access, The New York Times,August 19, 2015, available athttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/upshot/how-texas-could-set-nation-al-template-for-limiting-abortion-access.html?_r=0.

6 Ian Millhiser, The Fifth Circuit Just Stuck aKnife in Roe v. Wade, ThinkProgress, June 9,2015, available at http://thinkprogress.org/jus-tice/2015/06/09/3667882/federal-court-decisioncorrect-roe-v-wade-almost-entirely-dead/.

State rankings: Teen birth rate

http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/affordable-care-act-expansion.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/health/affordable-care-act-expansion.aspxhttp://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_SMFPE.pdfhttp://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_SMFPE.pdfhttp://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/29/3743702/texas-devious-plan-to-silently-kill-roe-v-wade/http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/29/3743702/texas-devious-plan-to-silently-kill-roe-v-wade/http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/29/3743702/texas-devious-plan-to-silently-kill-roe-v-wade/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/upshot/how-texas-could-set-national-template-for-limiting-abortion-access.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/upshot/how-texas-could-set-national-template-for-limiting-abortion-access.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/upshot/how-texas-could-set-national-template-for-limiting-abortion-access.html?_r=0http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/09/3667882/federal-court-decision-correct-roe-v-wade-almost-entirely-dead/http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/09/3667882/federal-court-decision-correct-roe-v-wade-almost-entirely-dead/http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/09/3667882/federal-court-decision-correct-roe-v-wade-almost-entirely-dead/http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/09/3667882/federal-court-decision-correct-roe-v-wade-almost-entirely-dead/http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/09/3667882/federal-court-decision-correct-roe-v-wade-almost-entirely-dead/http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/09/3667882/federal-court-decision-correct-roe-v-wade-almost-entirely-dead/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/upshot/how-texas-could-set-national-template-for-limiting-abortion-access.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/upshot/how-texas-could-set-national-template-for-limiting-abortion-access.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/upshot/how-texas-could-set-national-template-for-limiting-abortion-access.html?_r=0http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/29/3743702/texas-devious-plan-to-silently-kill-roe-v-wade/http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/29/3743702/texas-devious-plan-to-silently-kill-roe-v-wade/http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/29/3743702/texas-devious-plan-to-silently-kill-roe-v-wade/http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_SMFPE.pdfhttp://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_SMFPE.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/health/affordable-care-act-expansion.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/health/affordable-care-act-expansion.aspx


26/191


27/191


28/191


29/191

State Food insecurity rank

Share of households

that are food-insecure

North Dakota 1 8.4%



Virginia 4 10.1%

Minnesota 5 10.4%


Iowa 7 11.4%

Wisconsin 7 11.4%

Montana 9 11.5%

Illinois 10 11.7%

New Jersey 10 11.7%


Alaska 13 12.0%

Delaware 14 12.1%

Hawaii 15 12.3%

New Mexico 15 12.3%

Maryland 17 12.5%

Vermont 18 12.6%



Utah 21 13.3%

California 22 13.5%

Colorado 23 13.6%

Washington 24 13.7%

Florida 25 13.8%

Connecticut 26 13.9%

State Food insecurity rank

Share of household

that are food-insecu

Nebraska 26 13.9%


Wyoming 29 14.0%

Idaho 30 14.1%

New York 31 14.4%

Indiana 32 14.6%

Michigan 33 14.7%

Nevada 34 15.2%


Arizona 36 15.4%

Georgia 37 15.7%

Kansas 38 15.9%

Oregon 39 16.1%

Maine 40 16.2%

Tennessee 41 16.3%

Oklahoma 42 16.5%


Alabama 44 16.8%

Missouri 44 16.8%

Ohio 46 16.9%

Texas 47 17.2%

Kentucky 48 17.5%

Louisiana 49 17.6%

Arkansas 50 19.9%


Source: Alisha Coleman-Jensen and others, Household Food Security in the United States in 2014 (Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015), available at http://ww w.ers.ugov/media/1896836/err194_summary.pdf.

Endnotes

1 Alisha Coleman-Jensen and others, Household FoodSecurity in the United States in 2014 (Washington:U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015), available athttp://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1896841/err194.pdf.

2 Kathleen Short, The Supplemental Poverty Measure:2014 (Washington: Bureau of the Census, 2015),available at http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-254.pdf.

3 Executive Office of the President of the United States,Long-Term Benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program(2015), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/docu-ments/SNAP_report_final_nonembargo.pdf.

4 For more information on SNAP programs by state,please see Brynne Keith-Jennings and Caitlin Nchako,A Closer Look at Who Benefits from SNAP: State-by-State Fact Sheets (Washington: Center on Budget

and Policy Priorities, 2015), available athttp://www.cbpp.org/research/a-closer-look-at-who-benefits-from-snap-state-by-state-fact-sheets.

5 California Budget and Policy Center, Policymak-ers Take Steps to Improve Food Secu rity, butOpportunities to Address Hunger Remain, July 14,2014, available at http://calbudgetcenter.org/blog/policymakers-take-steps-to-improve-food-security-but-opportunities-to-address-hunger-remain/.

6 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Policy Basics:Introduction to the Supplemental Nutrition As-sistance Program (SNAP), January 8, 2015, availableat http://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-intro-duction-to-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap.

7 Ed Bolen and others, More Than 500,000 AdultsWill Lose SNAP Benefits in 2016 as Waivers Expire

(Washington: Center on Budget and Policy Priorit2016), available athttp://www.cbpp.org/researchfood-assistance/more-than-500000-adults-will-losnap-benefits-in-2016-as-waivers-expire.

8 Food and Nutrition Service, Supplemental Nutritiosistance Program Able Bodied Adults without Depdents Waivers for Fiscal Year 2015(U.S. DepartmenAgriculture, 2014), available athttp://www.fns.usgov/sites/default/files/SNAP-ABAWD-Waivers-FYpdf.

9 Alan Pyke, Maine Has Kicked 6,500 People Off OfFood Stamps So Far This Winter, ThinkProgress,January 21, 2015, available athttp://thinkprogresorg/economy/2015/01/21/3613618/lepage-snapwaivers/.

State rankings: Hunger and food insecurity

http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1896841/err194.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-254.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-254.pdfhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/documents/SNAP_report_final_nonembargo.pdfhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/documents/SNAP_report_final_nonembargo.pdfhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/documents/SNAP_report_final_nonembargo.pdfhttp://www.cbpp.org/research/a-closer-look-at-who-benefits-from-snap-state-by-state-fact-sheetshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/a-closer-look-at-who-benefits-from-snap-state-by-state-fact-sheetshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/a-closer-look-at-who-benefits-from-snap-state-by-state-fact-sheetshttp://calbudgetcenter.org/blog/policymakers-take-steps-to-improve-food-security-but-opportunities-to-address-hunger-remain/http://calbudgetcenter.org/blog/policymakers-take-steps-to-improve-food-security-but-opportunities-to-address-hunger-remain/http://calbudgetcenter.org/blog/policymakers-take-steps-to-improve-food-security-but-opportunities-to-address-hunger-remain/http://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-introduction-to-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snaphttp://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-introduction-to-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snaphttp://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-introduction-to-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snaphttp://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/more-than-500000-adults-will-lose-snap-benefits-in-2016-as-waivers-expirehttp://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/more-than-500000-adults-will-lose-snap-benefits-in-2016-as-waivers-expirehttp://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/more-than-500000-adults-will-lose-snap-benefits-in-2016-as-waivers-expirehttp://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/SNAP-ABAWD-Waivers-FY2015.pdfhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/SNAP-ABAWD-Waivers-FY2015.pdfhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/SNAP-ABAWD-Waivers-FY2015.pdfhttp://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/01/21/3613618/lepage-snap-waivers/http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/01/21/3613618/lepage-snap-waivers/http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/01/21/3613618/lepage-snap-waivers/http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/01/21/3613618/lepage-snap-waivers/http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/01/21/3613618/lepage-snap-waivers/http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/01/21/3613618/lepage-snap-waivers/http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/SNAP-ABAWD-Waivers-FY2015.pdfhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/SNAP-ABAWD-Waivers-FY2015.pdfhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/SNAP-ABAWD-Waivers-FY2015.pdfhttp://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/more-than-500000-adults-will-lose-snap-benefits-in-2016-as-waivers-expirehttp://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/more-than-500000-adults-will-lose-snap-benefits-in-2016-as-waivers-expirehttp://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/more-than-500000-adults-will-lose-snap-benefits-in-2016-as-waivers-expirehttp://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-introduction-to-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snaphttp://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-introduction-to-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snaphttp://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-introduction-to-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snaphttp://calbudgetcenter.org/blog/policymakers-take-steps-to-improve-food-security-but-opportunities-to-address-hunger-remain/http://calbudgetcenter.org/blog/policymakers-take-steps-to-improve-food-security-but-opportunities-to-address-hunger-remain/http://calbudgetcenter.org/blog/policymakers-take-steps-to-improve-food-security-but-opportunities-to-address-hunger-remain/http://www.cbpp.org/research/a-closer-look-at-who-benefits-from-snap-state-by-state-fact-sheetshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/a-closer-look-at-who-benefits-from-snap-state-by-state-fact-sheetshttp://www.cbpp.org/research/a-closer-look-at-who-benefits-from-snap-state-by-state-fact-sheetshttps://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/documents/SNAP_report_final_nonembargo.pdfhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/documents/SNAP_report_final_nonembargo.pdfhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/documents/SNAP_report_final_nonembargo.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-254.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-254.pdfhttp://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1896841/err194.pdf


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31/191

State

Unemployment insurance

coverage rank

Share of unemployed

who receive insurance

Alaska 1 53.4%


New Jersey 3 44.6%

Minnesota 4 44.5%


Vermont 6 42.2%


Connecticut 8 39.8%


Wisconsin 10 38.4%

Montana 11 37.9%

Hawaii 12 36.0%

New York 13 34.1%


Indiana 15 33.2%

California 16 32.5%

Wyoming 17 32.4%

Kansas 18 31.8%

Delaware 19 31.5%

Illinois 20 29.9%

Arkansas 21 29.9%

Oregon 22 29.7%

Maine 23 28.7%

Idaho 24 28.6%


Washington 26 28.4%

State

Unemployment insurance

coverage rank

Share of unemploy

who receive insura

Nevada 27 28.4%

Maryland 28 26.9%

Colorado 29 26.7%

Nebraska 30 26.5%

New Mexico 31 24.4%

Michigan 32 24.4%

Utah 33 23.6%

Ohio 34 23.1%

Texas 35 22.8%


Kentucky 37 21.9%

Oklahoma 38 21.3%

Missouri 39 21.0%

Iowa 40 19.4%

Alabama 41 18.8%


Virginia 43 18.6%


Arizona 45 17.4%

Tennessee 46 16.4%


Louisiana 48 14.7%


Florida 50 14.4%

Georgia 51 14.1%

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Unemployment Insurance Data Summary: 4th Quarter 2014, available at http://w ww.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/data.asp accessed February 2016).

Endnotes

1 U.S. Department of Labor, Unemployment InsuranceData Summary: 4th Quarter 2014, available athttp://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/con-tent/data.asp (last accessed February 2016).

2 Work sharing is also called short-time compensationor worker furlough. For more information, please seeGeorge Wentworth, Claire McKenna, and Lynn Minick,

Lessons Learned: Maximizing the Potential of Work-Sharing in the United States (Washington: NationalEmployment Law Project, 2014), available at http://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Lessons-Learned-Maximizing-Potential-Work-Sharing-in-US.pdf.

3 Neil Ridley and George Wentworth, Seizing the Mo-ment: A Guide to Adopting Work Sharing LegislationAfter the Layoff Prevention Act of 2012 (Washington:National Employment Law Project, 2012), availableat http://nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Seizing-Moment-Work-Sharing-State-Legislation-Guide.pdf;Pamela Prah, States Risk Losing Millions of Federal

Work-Share Dollars, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Janu-ary 29, 2014, available athttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/01/29/states-risk-losing-millions-of-federal-workshare-dollars.

4 Will Kimball and Rick McHugh, How Low Can We Go?State Unemployment Insurance Programs Exclude

Record Numbers of Jobless Workers (Washington:Economic Policy Institute, 2015), available at http://www.epi.org/files/2015/how-low-can-we-go-state-unemployment-r3.pdf; George Wentworth and ClaireMcKenna, Aint No Sunshine: Fewer than One inEight Unemployed Workers in Florida Is ReceivingUnemployment Insurance (Washington: NationalEmployment Law Project, 2015), available at http://nelp.org/publication/aint-no-sunshine-florida-unem-ployment-insurance/.

5 Ibid.

6 Kimball and McHugh, How Low Can We Go?

7 Ibid.; Wentworth and McKenna, Aint No Sunshin

8 Low-wage workers are only one-third as likely toUI as middle-income workers, even though they twice as likely to lose a job through no fault of thown and are less likely to have savings. See CynthM. Fagnoni, Unemployment Insurance: Receipt oBenefits Has Declined, with Continued Disparities

Low-Wage and Part-Time Workers, Testimony befthe House Committee on Ways and Means Subcomittee on Income Security and Family Support,September 19, 2007, available athttp://www.gaogov/new.items/d071243t.pdf.

9 Heather Boushey and Jordan Eizenga, Toward aStrong Unemployment Insurance System (Washton: Center for American Progress, 2011), availablat https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/laboreport/2011/02/08/9125/toward-a-strong-unemment-insurance-system/.

State rankings: Unemployment insurance coverage

http://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/data.asphttp://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/data.asphttp://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/data.asphttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Lessons-Learned-Maximizing-Potential-Work-Sharing-in-US.pdfhttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Lessons-Learned-Maximizing-Potential-Work-Sharing-in-US.pdfhttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Lessons-Learned-Maximizing-Potential-Work-Sharing-in-US.pdfhttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Lessons-Learned-Maximizing-Potential-Work-Sharing-in-US.pdfhttp://nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Seizing-Moment-Work-Sharing-State-Legislation-Guide.pdfhttp://nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Seizing-Moment-Work-Sharing-State-Legislation-Guide.pdfhttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/01/29/states-risk-losing-millions-of-federal-workshare-dollarshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/01/29/states-risk-losing-millions-of-federal-workshare-dollarshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/01/29/states-risk-losing-millions-of-federal-workshare-dollarshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/01/29/states-risk-losing-millions-of-federal-workshare-dollarshttp://www.epi.org/files/2015/how-low-can-we-go-state-unemployment-r3.pdfhttp://www.epi.org/files/2015/how-low-can-we-go-state-unemployment-r3.pdfhttp://www.epi.org/files/2015/how-low-can-we-go-state-unemployment-r3.pdfhttp://nelp.org/publication/aint-no-sunshine-florida-unemployment-insurance/http://nelp.org/publication/aint-no-sunshine-florida-unemployment-insurance/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071243t.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071243t.pdfhttps://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2011/02/08/9125/toward-a-strong-unemployment-insurance-system/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2011/02/08/9125/toward-a-strong-unemployment-insurance-system/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2011/02/08/9125/toward-a-strong-unemployment-insurance-system/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2011/02/08/9125/toward-a-strong-unemployment-insurance-system/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2011/02/08/9125/toward-a-strong-unemployment-insurance-system/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2011/02/08/9125/toward-a-strong-unemployment-insurance-system/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071243t.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071243t.pdfhttp://nelp.org/publication/aint-no-sunshine-florida-unemployment-insurance/http://nelp.org/publication/aint-no-sunshine-florida-unemployment-insurance/http://nelp.org/publication/aint-no-sunshine-florida-unemployment-insurance/http://www.epi.org/files/2015/how-low-can-we-go-state-unemployment-r3.pdfhttp://www.epi.org/files/2015/how-low-can-we-go-state-unemployment-r3.pdfhttp://www.epi.org/files/2015/how-low-can-we-go-state-unemployment-r3.pdfhttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/01/29/states-risk-losing-millions-of-federal-workshare-dollarshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/01/29/states-risk-losing-millions-of-federal-workshare-dollarshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/01/29/states-risk-losing-millions-of-federal-workshare-dollarshttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/01/29/states-risk-losing-millions-of-federal-workshare-dollarshttp://nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Seizing-Moment-Work-Sharing-State-Legislation-Guide.pdfhttp://nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Seizing-Moment-Work-Sharing-State-Legislation-Guide.pdfhttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Lessons-Learned-Maximizing-Potential-Work-Sharing-in-US.pdfhttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Lessons-Learned-Maximizing-Potential-Work-Sharing-in-US.pdfhttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Lessons-Learned-Maximizing-Potential-Work-Sharing-in-US.pdfhttp://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/Lessons-Learned-Maximizing-Potential-Work-Sharing-in-US.pdfhttp://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/data.asphttp://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/data.asphttp://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/data.asp


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33/191

StateAffordable housing

gap rank

Affordable housing

units

Wyoming 1 103

Iowa 2 87

North Dakota 3 85West Virginia 4 83

Montana 5 80

South Dakota 5 80

Alabama 7 78

Kansas 7 78

Ohio 7 78

Kentucky 10 77

Oklahoma 10 77

Nebraska 12 75

Minnesota 13 74

Missouri 13 74

Wisconsin 13 74

Arkansas 16 73

Indiana 17 71

Alaska 18 69

District of Columbia 18 69

Pennsylvania 20 68

Tennessee 20 68

North Carolina 22 66

South Carolina 22 66

Connecticut 24 65

Michigan 25 64

Mississippi 25 64

StateAffordable housing

gap rank

Affordable housing

units

Idaho 27 63

Rhode Island 27 63

Illinois 29 62Massachusetts 29 62

New Mexico 29 62

Maine 32 60

Utah 32 60

Louisiana 34 59

New Hampshire 34 59

Texas 34 59

Vermont 34 59

Colorado 38 57

Georgia 38 57

Maryland 38 57

Virginia 38 57

Washington 42 54

Delaware 43 53

New York 44 50

Arizona 45 49

Oregon 46 42

Hawaii 47 41

Nevada 47 41

New Jersey 49 40

Florida 50 36

California 51 30

Source: National Low I ncome Housing Coalitio n, The Affordable Rental Housing Gap Persists,Housing Spotlight 5 (1) (2015), available at http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/Housing-Spotlight_Volume-5_Issue-1.pdf.

Endnotes

1 Very low-income households are those with incomesat or below half of median income in the metropoli-

tan or other area where they live.

2 National Low Income Housing Coalition, AffordableHousing is Nowhere to be Found for Mi llions, HousingSpotlight5 (1) (2015), available at http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/Housing-Spotlight_Volume-5_Is-sue-1.pdf.

3 Meghan Henry and others, The 2015 AnnualHomeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress(Washington: U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment, 2015), available athttps://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2015-AHAR-Part-1.pdf.

4 Ibid.

5 National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Back-ground & Statistics, available athttp://nchv.org/

index.php/news/media/background_and_statistics/(last accessed February 2016).

6 Jenna Portnoy and Laura Vozzella, McAuliffeannounces milestone in ending veteran homeless-ness, The Washington Post, November 11, 2015,available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/mcauliffe-to-announce-milestone-in-ending-ve

Documents

State of the States Report 2015