Report Says Poverty Is Rising In Utah

None by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) Utah's rate of unemployment is at an all time low. Still, 14% of Utahns have no net worth and poverty in the state is on the rise. That according to a report released today by the Utah Community Action Partnership Association.

What those numbers say, according to Heather Tritten, Executive Director of UCAPA, is that people are working more than one job and those jobs aren't paying enough for families to make ends meet.

The UCAPA report shows that Utah's poverty rate has gone from 9.4% to 10.2% in the last five years. Over the same time period the uninsured rate among low-income Utah children grew by more than 90%.

The cost of housing is also a contributor, according to the report. Utah renters earn an average of less than $10 per hour while the average one-bedroom apartment requires a wage of nearly $11 per hour.

For more information and a conversation with Heather Tritten about the UCAPA report, listen to KCPW's Midday Metro Friday at 10am.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW