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In-Depth: Invest in Working Families
Louisville’s large proportion of working-class families continues to be
buffeted by economic pressures, but the
median income for families has risen. In
fact, this significant measure rose enough to
lift the community from the bottom to the
middle tier among its peers in 2005 data.
Simultaneously, however, the number of
low-income families also increased, as did
the percentage of young children living in
poverty, which stands at 28%. Housing costs
grew more rapidly than incomes, resulting
in a significant jump in foreclosures and
pushing to 24% the proportion of families
who spend more than a third of their
income for shelter.
Homelessness also spread,
vividly illustrated by the 6,000 homeless
students enrolled in the public schools, a
six-fold increase since 1993.
With the worsening crisis in health care, the
number of families without health insurance
continued to grow, and a recent study
documented stark disparities across areas
of the county in life expectancy, the ultimate
health indicator.
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