DECADES

ARIZONA
INDICATORS

WHAT THE TRENDS TELL US

Families

DECADES
VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 7
JANUARY 2010
arizonaindicators.org

Trends In Poverty
By Kristin Borns
Senior Analyst
Morrison Institute for Public Policy
Arizona State University

Q: What were the most interesting and important trends in Arizona families that occurred in

the previous decade? What is the significance of these trends and what insights can we apply to
the new decade?

A: Looking at the data trends for Arizona families, the question for me is not so much about

where we’ve been, but in light of the Great Recession and state budget deficits, where are we
going? We know Arizona has grown, with a large component of that growth in children ages 0-18
and adults 65 years and older. We also know that these can be the most vulnerable populations for
food insecurity and poverty.
Arizona has seen positive trends in the areas of child welfare over the last decade. The number
of licensed foster homes as well as the number of finalized adoptions has grown. This has
all occurred during a time dominated by prosperity and increased financial resources to the
Department of Economic Security (DES), who administers Child Protective Services. As DES
absorbs substantial cuts and staff reductions, what will those numbers look like two, five, or ten
years out? It is quite possible that simply sustaining will be considered success, at least in the
short term.
One key measure we have seen no movement on since 2005 is the number of Arizona children
living in poverty. Despite expeditious job growth and increased opportunity, 1 in 5 Arizona
children still lives in poverty - $22,050 in annual income for a family of four. Just as concerning,
perhaps even more so, the number of Arizona adults 65 years and older in poverty has actually
increased.
Percent of Arizona Children Below Age 18 Living in Poverty
Last Updated: 12/10/2010

25%

Percent Living In Poverty

If we were unable to lift
families out of poverty during
they “hey day” of Arizona
growth in the mid-2000s,
how devastating could the
impacts of the Recession be
on Arizona families?

22.5%

20%

17.5%

15%

1999

Arizona

Greenlee
Pinal

2000

2001

Apache
La Paz
Santa Cruz

2002

2003

Cochise
Maricopa

Yavapai

2004

2005

2006

Coconino
Mohave
Yuma

Source: United States Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates

2007

Gila
Navajo

2008

2009

Graham
Pima

Arizona Indicators is
an online information
resource and analysis
tool that centralizes data
about the state and its
communities. Arizona
Indicators presents
interactive visualizations,
clear data descriptions,
and public opinion data
in a broad range of
content areas.

This project is made
possible by generous
support from the Arizona
Community Foundation
and Arizona State
University.

For more information,
contact Andrea Whitsett
at (602) 496-0217 or
andrea.whitsett@asu.edu.

Arizona Indicators is
a project of Morrison
Institute for Public Policy.

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