Today’s Washington Post features a somewhat misleading headline: “Washington region has nation’s lowest poverty rate.” If you’re confused by that, there’s good reason. Just one month ago, the media was reporting that Washington, DC has the third-highest poverty rate in the country at 19.9 percent – just behind Mississippi and Louisiana.
Today’s Post article includes data from the District along with 11 counties, including Loudon, Frederick, Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties, which all saw significant increases in median household income. Meanwhile, Montgomery, Fairfax and Prince George’s Counties saw significant decreases in median income.
The real story here isn’t in the big picture, but rather how multifaceted economic security is in our community. The real story is why and how counties located right next to one another in the same metropolitan region could have such drastic differences. The real story is about the widening gaps that have left us a region of contradictions – one where some of the wealthiest people in the country live close to some of the most economically vulnerable; where, despite living in a region with a “robust economy,” 20 percent of District residents are poor.
I think that it’s to imply that the region is weathering the economy fairly well when so many people need access to assistance and resources that would help them and their families achieve economic security. There are more than 202,000 women and girls living in poverty in the region. Prince George’s County, alone, saw a 43,000 person increase in the number of females living in poverty last year. With numbers like these, we can’t be lulled into a false sense of security.
Some people in our region are doing very well, in spite of the recession. But that doesn’t mean our work, as a community, is done. Washington Area Women’s Foundation is committed to putting all women and girls on a path to prosperity so that they can achieve a brighter future for themselves, their families and our entire region. We hope that you join our movement.
