Posted on: Saturday, September 1, 2001

Hawai'i poverty rate rose during 1990s

By Susan Roth
Advertiser Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Hawai'i's poverty rate climbed during the 1990s, as did the state's median household income, according to estimates released by the Census Bureau.

From 1989 to 1998, state poverty rates increased for all ages, reaching a peak in 1996. The state percentage of people living in poverty in 1998 was still smaller than the national average.

The estimates, annually updated from national and state income data, should not be confused with Census 2000 results, the bureau said. Census 2000 data on income and poverty at the state level will not be released until 2002. The 1998 estimates, released yesterday, will be used in administering federal programs.

Nationally, poverty rates decreased slightly from 1989 to 1998, from 13.1 percent to 12.7 percent.

In contrast, Hawai'i's percentage of people living in poverty grew from 8.3 percent to 10.5 percent in the same period. That translates to more than 122,800 people in Hawai'i living in poverty in 1998.

The percentage of people living in poverty reached 11.7 percent in 1996, and fell to 11.1 percent in 1997.

The decade-long increases were most dramatic for Hawai'i's youth. For all youth under age 18, the poverty rate jumped from 11.6 percent in 1989 to 15 percent in 1998.

The Census Bureau defines poverty according to annually updated sets of income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. In 1989, that threshold was $12,674 for a family of four. In 1998, it was $16,660 for a family of four. Poverty is not defined for people living in military barracks, however.