New 2008 census figures released today show nearly one in six Northwest children live in households below the poverty line, according to Sightline Institute, a nonprofit think tank in Seattle. While Washington and Idaho’s rates remained statistically unchanged, Oregon’s child poverty rate hit 18 percent, a level comparable to the national average and the highest in the region.
The news comes on the heels of a report released by the state that says nearly 18,000 students live in Oregon without permanent housing.