WASHINGTON – Two of Maryland’s wealthiest counties saw some of the greatest gains last year in the number of impoverished families, according to an analysis of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.
In Howard County, which boasted Maryland’s second-highest median household income at $82,065, the percentage of people in poverty increased for almost every age group in 2004. More than 900 families fell below the government’s official poverty level, which varies according to family size and other factors.
Anne Arundel County, which had a median household income of $66,986, also saw the rate rise for most age groups last year. More than 4,500 families became impoverished, and the most dramatic increase occurred in unrelated individuals 15 years and over — a spike from 9.6 percent in 2003 to 17.7 percent last year.
“Wow,” said Norris West with the Maryland Department of Human Resources. “When you have these increases, it does show you in even the most affluent counties there are some concerns. We have to be mindful that even though you see great wealth . . . there are still pockets of need.”
Howard County’s median home value of $347,584 was the state’s second-highest, and Anne Arundel’s value came in third at $280,260. Montgomery County holds the No. 1 spot in both median household income and home values in the state.
“People just don’t think poverty exists here,” said James Smith, executive director of the nonprofit Community Action Council of Howard County. “It’s a perception that since Howard County is an affluent place . . . low-income people just don’t live here. (But) they do.”
Smith, who works with the poor, said this flawed assumption stems from the county’s less visible form of poverty — especially when compared to places such as Baltimore and Washington.
“One thing I hear from a lot of people is, ‘Wow! Poverty exists in Howard County?'” Smith said. “In Baltimore City, you see it. In Washington, D.C., you see poverty. You see it every day. (But) in Howard County, unless you really look for it, you don’t see it.”
Maryland’s poverty rate also rose in 2004 for the second straight year.
While the state boasted the nation’s third-highest median household income of $57,424, more than 477,000 Marylanders — or 8.8 percent of the population — were living in poverty in 2004, up from 8.2 percent in 2003, according to the census data, which has a 90 percent confidence interval.
“We used to have one of the lowest rates,” said Wesley Mason with the Progressive Maryland Education Fund. “(Now) a lot of people are struggling to try to pay the bills.”
Mason said job losses, a stagnant minimum wage, a recovering economy and medical bills influenced Maryland’s poverty rate.
Another chief factor was the organization of families, according to Mark Goldstein with the Maryland Department of Planning.
He said about 55 percent of Anne Arundel County’s impoverished were in single-parent households. Howard County followed closely at around 45 percent.
“Family structure plays a role in poverty,” Goldstein said. “With one parent you obviously have only one worker. That’s a contributing factor.”
While Prince George’s County saw the percent of its poor actually decline for almost every age group in 2004, James Smith from the Community Action Council of Howard County expected the state rate will continue to rise.
“The poor will always be among us,” Smith said. “In their mind, as long as they get gas and electricity, they’re OK. But what about the next month? And the next? . . . The challenge is helping people to break out of the mentality of poverty.”