Poverty rates in Arizona decreased by about a tenth of a percent from 2012 to 2013. That’s according to a new survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. While modest, some are considering the small change to be good news.
According to the Census Bureau, that tenth of a percent drop is not statistically significant, which means for the most part the rates stayed stagnant at just about 19 percent.
Joshua Eyeler is a research associate at Children’s Action Alliance. He said while his organization was hoping to see more of a decrease, 2014 should reveal better numbers.
"We have seen unemployment go down," Eyeler said. "We have seen some improved economic numbers. We’ve been doing better in 2014."
New Mexico, however, saw a significant increase in poverty rates, jumping to almost 22 percent. Only Mississippi came in higher at 24 percent.
