Poverty

Poverty Rate
Defined as making a wage too low to live at
a level deemed adequate by society
Determined by taking minimum a person
could spend on diet, then multiply by 3

Poverty in America
2013 Poverty rate was 14.5%, down from
15% in 2012.
45.3 million people lived in poverty in 2013
Poverty rate for children under 18 in 2013 was
19.9%
Poverty rate in Ohio 2013 was 14.5%

Current Poverty Rates

Historic Poverty Rates

Historic Poverty Rates

Factors that Influence Poverty

Age
Gender
Race/Ethnicity

What do you think?

Is poverty inevitable?
Utopian Societies...Sir Thomas More, William
Penn

Minimum Wage
Current federal minimum wage $7.25
Ohio minimum wage $8.10
23 States have higher minimum wage than
federal government
Highest minimum wage $9.50 in District of
Columbia
5 States have no minimum wage laws; defer
to federal minimum wage

What do you think?

What is the difference between minimum
wage and a living wage?
Living wage is hourly rate a person needs to
earn to avoid falling under the poverty rate

What do you think?

Should the minimum wage be increased to
reflect a living wage?
Living wage in Ohio would be $8.15 for a
single adult

So What?
Higher crime/higher arrest rates
Decreased life chances
Education
Life Expectancy
General Health