Iowa family finances continue to deteriorate

The economic condition of Iowa?s children and families, including those in Jefferson County, continued to deteriorate in 2009, according to a new report released by the Child and Family Policy Center.

The report, ?Iowa Kids Count 2009: Trends in the Well-Being of Iowa Children,? includes findings that show the percentage of people receiving food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program rose 140 percent from 2000 to 2009 while the unemployment rate for Iowans increased 130 percent.

According to the report, the percentage of people receiving food assistance in Jefferson County rose 149.7 percent from 2000 to 2009. In 2000, 862 individuals from a population of 16,181 (5.3 percent) received food assistance, but in 2009, 2,059 individuals from a population of 15,472 (13.3 percent) received assistance.

From 2000 to 2009, the unemployment rate in Jefferson County rose 191 percent. In 2000, 260 people were unemployed in a labor force of 9,440 (2.8 percent), and in 2009, 660 people were unemployed in a labor force of 8,210 (8 percent).

Other economic data in the report indicated more than one in three school children in Iowa were eligible for free or reduced-price lunches in 2009. In Jefferson County, 600 students out of an enrollment of 1,765 were eligible. That number was up 57.2 percent compared to the 462 out of 2,137 eligible in 2000.

To see the full story, read the Dec. 29, 2010, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.