Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Lake Worth Poverty


At last Tuesday's meeting, poverty was brought up as a reason to change our Comprehensive Plan and allow higher density. Of course, the root problem of poverty is never discussed. How will more development end poverty in Lake Worth or even lower it?

A map was handed out of the U.S. census tract (which was undated but possibly from the 2010 census) and the following poverty results were recorded:
  • Tract 43--6.6% poverty
  • Tract 44.01--22.4%
  • Tract 44.02--48.6%
  • Tract 45--31.7%
  • Tract 50--20% (where I live)
  • Tract 51.01--40.6%
  • Tract 51.02--32.4%
  • Tract 52.03--19.1%
  • Tract 52.02--29.2%
  • Tract 52.04--23%
  • Tract 53--13.6%
This equates to 26.1% of our residents who live in poverty. According to the information given out, the poverty rate for the United States is 15.1% but Google says  the official poverty rate is 12.7 percent, based on the U.S. Census Bureau's 2016 estimates. That year, an estimated 43.1 million Americans lived in poverty according to the official measure. According to a supplemental poverty measure, the poverty rate was 14.0 percent.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We all know Lake Worth is poor. There are many among us who wish to keep it that way and those like me who wish to see it reach some of its potential as a sea-side community with amenities galore.

I believe you are right to question whether the "cure" proposed to affect our ratio is to develop, develop, develop or bringing up the standard of living in our most blighted areas through code enforcement. That would include areas densely populated by people from Central America who's traditional standards of living, and normal poverty rate, are quite different than our's.

We recently heard that the code enforcement division is fully staffed now and plans to add additional personnel in the near future, if sufficiently guided, may make a real difference.

Anonymous said...

Too many illegals, poor, uneducated, lawless, crime, blight, and ineffectiveness of leaders in LW, that is why I sold and moved the hell out of the city, just never go better after devoting 20 years to the city.

Anonymous said...

Where in the fuc$ is ICE? Time to go door to door in Lake Worth.Time for ICE to go wait outside Publix,the schools ,banks ,etc.

Anonymous said...

Is there a better quality image of this data? I am not able to zoom in and see the tract numbers

Lynn Anderson said...

Sorry--this was taken from a pass-pout by the city. Perhaps the city can get you the original.