Economic Stability

Another goal of DCYF is that families have economic stability. As DCYF staff engaged stakeholders across the state on what they wanted to see children and families achieve, we heard repeatedly about the importance of basic needs being met. Without economic security, many other positive outcomes related to health and education become harder to achieve. Census data on Washington State families with children living below the poverty level show disparities based on race and ethnicity. While White families live below the poverty level at rates lower than the state average of 6.5%, others have much higher rates. Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino families with children live below the poverty level at rates over twice what White families experience, and the poverty rate of American Indian/Alaska Native families is nearly three times the rate of poverty for White families.

Percent of Families Living Below Poverty Level, by Race/Ethnicity (5-Year Estimates, 2017-2021)

 

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Percent of Families Living Below Poverty Level, by Race/Ethnicity (5-Year Estimates, 2017-2021)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (February 2023). 2021 American community survey 5-year estimates [2017-2021]. https://data.census.gov.
WSRDAC/M: Not WSRDAC/M Standard; This metric reports racial groups as provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Notes: The U.S. Census data used for this metric reports family race/ethnicity based on the race/ethnicity of the householder. The householder is the person (or one of the people) in whose name the family's housing is owned or rented. The Census defines a family as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption, and residing together.