Posts > Kids, the Working Poor and People of Color: Here’s What Persistent Poverty Looks Like in West Virginia
January 16, 2024

Kids, the Working Poor and People of Color: Here’s What Persistent Poverty Looks Like in West Virginia

Mountain State Spotlight – For the next two months, lawmakers will be at the state Capitol for their annual legislative session. Each year is a chance for them to pass new laws, as well as make sure those that are already in place are achieving what they intended. 

Read the full article.

In one of the poorest states in the nation, for some, a key question is whether the laws in place are in fact helping all West Virginians — including the more than 300,000 residents living in poverty. In many places around the state, this isn’t a new problem: 11 of West Virginia’s 55 counties are classified as “in persistent poverty” by the U.S. Census Bureau, having a poverty rate of 20% or higher continually for the past three decades.

In the past, often lawmakers have passed laws and proposed plans to reduce poverty in the state by tackling the issue like a sprint, and not the marathon that it actually is. 

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