Florida's "Recovery" Left Many Behind: State Near Last in Affordable Housing and Insurance Coverage | Riptide 2.0 | Miami | Miami New Times | The Leading Independent News Source in Miami, Florida
Navigation

Florida's "Recovery" Left Many Behind: State Near Last in Affordable Housing and Insurance Coverage

Rick Scott was ostensibly reelected this year based on Florida's economic recovery, but a new report from the Center for American Progress reminds us that that "recovery" has left many in Florida behind. That state lags behind in many poverty indicators, and Scott's own decision not to expand Medicaid in...
Share this:

Rick Scott was ostensibly reelected this year based on Florida's economic recovery, but a new report from the Center for American Progress reminds us that that "recovery" has left many in Florida behind. That state lags behind in many poverty indicators, and Scott's own decision not to expand Medicaid in the state as well as clamping down on unemployment insurance is a big reason why.

Here are the 15 poverty indicators CAP used in its analysis, and where Florida ranks for each.

Poverty Rate

Florida Ranks 36th

17 percent of Floridians live in Poverty according to the Census Bureau.

Child Poverty Rate

Florida Ranks 37th

24.2 percent of Florida's children live in poverty.

Income Inequality

Florida Ranks 37th

16.1 times the amount of income earned by the bottom 20 percent is earned by the top 20 percent.

High School Graduation Rate

Florida Ranks 37th

75 percent of students graduated, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Higher-Education Attainment Rate

Florida Ranks 34th

Just 36.9 percent of Floridians between ages 25 and 34 have an associate degree or higher.

Disconnected Youth

Florida Ranks 37th

18 percent of people between 18 and 24 neither were in school or had a job in 2012.

Unemployment Rank

Florida Ranks 30th

7.2 percent of Floridians were unemployed in 2013.

Gender Wage Gap

Florida Ranks 4th

A woman in Florida earns 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, which is actually one of the better rates in the nation.

Children living apart from parents

Florida Ranks 19th

5 out of every 1,000 children live in foster care

Teen Birth Rate

Florida Ranks 25th

The share of teen births is 28 percent.

Lack of Health Insurance Coverage

Florida Ranks 49th

36 percent of Floridians remained uninsured as of 2013.

Hunger and Food Insecurity

Florida Ranks 25th

14.1 percent of all Florida households are considered "food insecure"

Unemployment Insurance Coverage

Florida Ranks 49th

Just 16.2 percent of unemployment workers actually received unemployment insurance in Florida in 2013.

Affordable Housing

Florida Ranks 50th

In 2013, there were only 37 affordable units available for every 100 low income families looking to rent.

Asset Poverty

Florida Ranks 25th

37.3 percent of households were living in asset poverty ("This is the share of households whose total assets, including any home equity--minus their total liabilities--were less than three times the monthly federal poverty threshold.")

Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.