This story was reported and written by Radio IQ.
The U.S. Census Bureau does more than just count US residents. It also conducts annual surveys which aim to better understand the wellbeing of those people. The American Community Survey is one such measure, and data released this week shows Virginia is doing better than much of the rest of the country.
Top line numbers suggest Virginia is doing better than most as part of the American Community Survey. Virginia’s overall poverty rate was 10.2% in 2023, about 2 points lower than the national rate.
Virginia’s poverty rate has generally trended down since 2017.
Admittedly this data is cumbersome, and it can be like comparing apples to oranges, but Megan Davis with the left-leaning Commonwealth Institute says it shows federal and state anti-poverty initiatives work. She pointed to the expanded child tax credit under President Joe Biden’s first two years in office which helped Virginia’s most needy. But she also thinks Virginia legislators could do more.
“We can help Virginia residents through intentional state actions such as establishing a state-child tax credit, continuing to strengthen the earned income tax credit and raising the state minimum wage,” Davis told Radio IQ.
Steve Haner with the right-leaning Thomas Jefferson Institute also welcomed Virginia’s static poverty rate, and he pointed to tax breaks signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin that he thinks played a part in the steady numbers. But he thinks efforts to boost business in the Commonwealth will be more helpful than raising the minimum wage.
“The kind of news we need to have is some large economic announcements," Haner said in an interview Thursday. "Some large industries coming to Virginia, some industries in Virginia getting large new orders that require them to hire again.”
Legislators return to Richmond in January, though any large legislative changes may be a challenge in what’s expected to be a tough election year for governor and the House of Delegates.
