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Officials debate poverty accuracy Census: Median income dropped 9.1 percent

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By Mike Sever

Record-Courier staff writer

Maybe the good news about Portage County's poverty numbers is that the numbers may not be accurate.

The number of people living in poverty is up and median household incomes are down, according to the latest annual federal survey.

On Tuesday, the Census Bureau said Portage County's median household income had decreased dramatically.

It dropped by 9.1 percent from 2005 to 2006, from $48,214 to $43,840, putting county households barely above the national median.

"That's huge if that's correct. I find it hard to believe it changed that much, especially in one year," said Kathy Wilson, an associate professor of economics at Kent State University.

"There's nothing (in the local economy) that jumps out to me that would lead me to expect a drop that drastic," Wilson said.

The census listed a margin of error of plus or minus $2,093 for 2006, and plus or minus $2,649 for 2005.

Portage County's experience is the opposite of the nation as a whole where median household income increased for the second straight year, to $48,200.

The census also released numbers that showed an 8 percent increase in people below the poverty line from 2005 to 2006.

That's the reverse of national figures that showed a decrease in the poverty number.

According to the census bureau, 20,318 people in the county out of 147,206 had income below the federal poverty level in 2006.

That's up from 16,797 out of a total county population of 147,549 in 2005. The vast majority of people below the poverty line are between the ages of 18 to 64.

But the latest numbers also have a margin of error of plus or minus 3,382.

Nationally, the share of Americans living in poverty declined for the first time since President Bush took office, to 12.3 percent.

Local agencies who aid the needy say they continue to get increasing numbers of requests for help.

"There's definitely an increase" in requests, said Deborah J. Feke, executive director of Catholic Charities of Portage County.

"We're seeing the very under-employed or the unemployed. Many are already receiving Medicaid or public assistance," Feke said.

Linda Seeman, public assistance direct service manager for the Portage County Department of Job and Family Services, said the number of people getting Medicaid is growing, but relatively slowly. At the end of 2005, the county had 15,040 people receiving Medicaid. At the end of last year the number was 15,092, Seeman said.

Part of that might be due to new citizenship paperwork requirements that may deter people --and not necessarily just illegal aliens -- from applying, Seeman said.

Help with utilities are a big request, said both Feke and David Shea, executive director of Community Action Council.

The number of people requesting help with utilities almost doubled, Feke said, while Shea said "we've had higher service levels this year than we've had in our entire history."

"In the last year we saw nearly 7,000 families just for utility assistance alone," Shea said.

From July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007, the CAC paid out $1.7 million in utility assistance alone. That's double what it was a few years ago.

"Were seeing increases in both the amount of assistance needed and numbers of people seeking help," Shea said.

The number of meals served at Kent Social Services and the Center of Hope in Ravenna has gone up 25 percent, and more people are seeking shelter at Safer Futures, Miller Community House and Freedom House said Mark Frisone, executive director of Family & Community Services, Inc.

"It's sobering information. While national numbers are down, Ohio numbers are unchanged. And in fact, the median income in Portage County has fallen. That's not a precursor for better days ahead," Frisone said.