Maryland working women still lag behind in earnings
Single-parent households headed by a female had a poverty rate of 29.1 percent in the state compared to 7.9 percent for all Maryland families, according to a new report coauthored by Progressive Maryland Education Fund and the Maryland Center on Economic Policy.
The report also shows income varies greatly along racial lines, and that African-Americans and Hispanics are more than twice as likely to be living in poverty than non-Hispanic whites.
Additionally, the report finds the poverty rate in the state varies greatly by county. Howard County has the lowest poverty rate at 6.3 percent, while Somerset County has the highest at 29.6 percent.
Educational attainment and family living arrangements are also significant factors that affect economic status, according to the report.
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The report calculates the cost of living for Maryland families based on the price of basic necessities such as housing, food, transportation and child care. It finds that while these costs increased statewide by 54 percent since 2001, median earnings did not keep up, increasing only 25 percent.
