Census economic data show higher poverty in 4 of 7 counties

While Allegheny County mirrored positive trends of the economy between 2014 and 2015, experiencing reduced poverty and higher incomes, U.S. Census Bureau data being released today show a mixed bag for rest of the region.

Pittsburgh metropolitan area, Armstrong and Washington counties joined Allegheny in reducing their poverty rates, while Beaver, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties experienced more poverty than the year before, according to the American Community Survey. The ACS estimates are based on a random sample of about 3 percent of U.S. households.

The continued good news is that the metropolitan area’s poverty rate of 12.3 percent remained well below the nation’s. Allegheny County’s poverty rate, also 12.3 percent, dropped a full percentage point from 13.3 percent in 2014.

The poverty rates of the metropolitan area’s other counties, from best to worst, were: Butler, 9.7 percent (but 1.2 percentage points higher than the year before); Washington, 9.9 percent (down 0.5); Westmoreland, 11.4 (up 1.5); Armstrong, 11.8 (down 1.9); Beaver, 13.5 (up 2.1); and Fayette, 20.8 (up 0.3).

Adding to the lack of consistency in local census economic data, the inflation-adjusted median household income of some counties went up and others went down, but the change did not necessarily match with their reported poverty trend.

The survey said median household income in Allegheny County (the income at which half the households were above and half were below) was $54,467 in 2015, up 3.8 percent.

Income was reported to rise even more both in the wealthiest and poorest counties in the metro area. The 2015 median in Butler was $68,848 (up 13.2 percent) and in Fayette was $40,945 (up 11.9 percent).

Washington also experienced an increase to $58,085 (up 3.6 percent).

Real household income declined in Westmoreland County to $53,540 (down 0.1 percent); in Beaver County to $50,128 (down 2.3 percent); and in Armstrong County to $44,477 (down 1.3 percent).