Poverty Rate Hits 11.4% Leading Into Recession
Colorado went into the current recession in a worse position than it entered the 2001 recession, according to new poverty data released today by the Census Bureau. Colorado’s poverty rate hit 11.4 percent in 2008, even prior to the full onset of the recession. This new data is a significant increase over Colorado’s 2001 poverty rate of 9.6 percent, outpacing the national poverty rate increase from 12.1 percent in 2001 to 13.2 percent in 2008. Likewise, the state’s child poverty rate remains among the fastest growing in the country, climbing from 12.2 percent in 2001 to14.8 percent in 2008.
Released Sept. 29, 2009

