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Census Bureau data indicates how the Bayou State fared during the pandemic. Executive Director of the Louisiana Budget Project, Jan Moller said there’s good news and bad news when you look at the numbers. Among the bad is the state’s poverty rate.
“From 2018 to 2019 and then from 2019 to 2021 our poverty rate now is almost 20% it’s 19.6% and it is now the highest in the country,” said Moller.
But Moller is quick to point out that when you look at the Supplemental Poverty Measurement, the financial situation for Louisianans improved during the pandemic. He said in addition to income, it looks at benefits like SNAP and enhanced unemployment and that measure shows the poverty rate decreased.
“Even though we had this huge economic shock brought about by the pandemic, the fact that there was so much aid really helped to sustain a lot of families and on a lot of measures people’s actual financial situation improved,” said Moller.
Moller says national data shows poverty, especially among children fell to historic lows when the expanded Child Tax Credit was available.
In addition to the state’s poverty rate Census data indicated an improvement when it comes to health insurance coverage. Moller said in 2021 those without health insurance fell to an all-time low and approximately 92% of Louisianans had some form of health coverage.
“But it also meant that fewer people were spared from the financial shock that comes if you end up needing medical care and you don’t have health insurance,” said Moller.
Data also indicates the median household income dropped from $54,126 in 2019 to $52,087 annually in 2021.
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