A Picture of Poverty in Horry County April 24, 2014

Notes on Data and Sources ▪ Unless otherwise specified, all data contained in this presentation was taken from the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Community Survey (ACS) ▪ ACS estimates are from 2012, the last full year’s data available at the county level as of 4/25/2014. ▪ Because ACS data are meant to bridge the gaps between census years and are gathered annually, estimates used here are based on the previous 12 months. Thus the ACS 2012 estimates measure poverty in the previous 12 months (2012 calendar year) only. ▪ In measures of race, “White” includes respondents identifying as “Hispanic”

What is Poverty? General Definition: 1.Shortage of commodities or basic needs: food, clothing, shelter 2.Lack of access to education and employment 3.Deprived of goods and services that other members of society take for granted

How Do We Measure Poverty? ▪ 1964: Mollie Orshansky developed measure based on assumption that families spend 1/3 of income for food – In other words, (3 * amount spent on food) = poverty line ▪ What counts as income? – Pre-tax earnings – Social insurance benefits – Cash from public assistance – Pension or retirement incomes – Interest, dividends, royalties, rents, trusts – Educational assistance – Alimony and child support ▪ Increased every year for inflation

What is Poverty? U.S. Specific, Official Definition

Poverty in the United States

Poverty in South Carolina All persons 18.3% (18.0 – 18.6) Children (aged 0 – 17) 26.8% (26 – 27.6)

Poverty in Horry County All persons 19.6% (17.98 – 21.3) Children (aged 0 – 17) 32.5% (28.7 – 36.3)

Relative Poverty Over Time

Relative Poverty by County CountyAll PersonsChildren Horry19.6%32.5% Georgetown19.8%35.0% Florence20.0%29.1% Darlington25.3%34.7% Marion26.0%44.3% Neighbors CountyAll PersonsChildren Dorchester11.4%16.9% York Beaufort Berkeley Lexington Top 5 (least poverty) CountyAll PersonsChildren Bamberg29.2%40.3% Lee Clarendon Williamsburg Allendale Bottom 5 (most poverty)

Relative Poverty by County

Floyd’s Crossroads Loris Longs Little River Myrtle Beach Conway East Conway Aynor Poverty by County Subdivision

Why are the Poor Poor? Social Explanations ▪ Culture of poverty and difficult mobility – Generational problem; way-of-life – Rooted in indifference, alienation, apathy, irresponsibility ▪ Family structure ▪ Discrimination Economic Explanations ▪ Barriers to work (transportation, child care, substance abuse, domestic instability) ▪ Low productivity – Human capital theory: knowledge, skills, training, work habits, abilities appropriate to the prevailing economy (e.g., deindustrialization via W.J. Wilson) ▪ Economic stagnation (i.e., no job/wage growth) ▪ Spatial mismatch

Horry County: Poverty by Family Status PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES AND PEOPLE WHOSE INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IS BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL All families11.6% With related children under 18 years21.6% With related children under 5 years only24.9% Married couple families5.1% With related children under 18 years8.9% With related children under 5 years only7.9% Families with female householder, no husband present34.7% With related children under 18 years43.7% With related children under 5 years only51.9%

Horry County: Poverty By Race (White and Black only)

Horry County: Educational Attainment

Horry County: Poverty and Employment Status 40.7% Of those living below the poverty line in Horry County are employed 12.8% Of those living below the poverty line in Horry County are unemployed 46.0% Of those living below the poverty line in Horry County are not in the labor force

Horry County: Poverty and Employment Status 15.6% Of married family households below the poverty line had at least one partner working full time 48.2% Of married family households below the poverty line had both partners working at least part-time 61.8% Of single female- headed households below the poverty line had mom working at least part-time

Horry County: Wages/Earnings and Job Quality? MEDIAN EARNINGS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS ( IN 2012 Inflation adjusted Dollars) Less than high school graduate16,659 High school graduate (includes equivalency)22,041 Some college or associate's degree27,226 Bachelor's degree37,081 Graduate or professional degree49,880 Horry County median approx. $42K

A few other interesting statistics… 34.8% of the poor in Horry County had no health insurance coverage in 2011 – 2012 (not even Medicaid or Medicare) 34.3% of veterans aged 18 – 54 in Horry County are poor 40.1% The average portion of income a low-income to working poor family spends on child care each month