Poverty is on the rise throughout the St. Louis region, with it spiraling upward in the city at an alarming rate.
Nationally, household incomes edged up slightly in 2005, but 37 million people were still living below the poverty line, about the same as the year before, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday.
St. Luis ranks in the top 10 for cities with lowest median income and experienced a 2.9 percent drop ($30,8754) in that category. More than 25 percent of city residents live below the poverty level.
St. Louis County’s median income fell 8.3 percent, but still stood at $54,268.
The sluggish numbers lead Democrats to blame the Bush administration, noting that incomes are lower and the poverty rate is higher than when Bush took office. Democrats also noted that the number of people without health insurance climbed for the sixth straight year, reaching 46.6 million people in 2005.
“I know what they say about putting lipstick on a pig, but I don’t see how the Bush administration can spin these numbers in their favor,” said Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.
Bush’s budget chief said the new numbers show the economy’s resilience following terrorist attacks in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina a year ago.
“Unemployment is low, wages are rising and there are more jobs in America today than at any other time in history,” said Rob Portman, Bush’s budget director.