More than 100,000 Tennesseans sank into the ranks of poverty during 2009. Census figures released this week show poverty grew more in Tennessee than the country as a whole.
The number of people living in poverty across the U.S. increased by one-percent last year. In Tennessee, the figure was 1.4%.
One of Tennessee’s newcomers to poverty is Timothy Taylor of Nashville, who has been out of work for 15 months. He and his 13-year-old daughter have had to move in with his mother.
“A mother taking care of her 50 year old son, it’s not good. It’s frustrating. It bothers me every day. I should be taking care of her instead of her taking care of me.”
A total of 31 states saw increases in the number living in poverty and the rest stayed roughly the same. The percentage of Tennesseans living below poverty level is now 17% compared to 14% nationally. Neighboring Mississippi has the worst poverty rate in the country at nearly 22%.
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