Abstract
This article estimates trends in the poverty rates in Wisconsin for the overall population, for children, and for the elderly between 2008 and 2010, using an alternative poverty measure. Our measure is similar to the federally implemented Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) but customized to reflect the place-specific needs and resources of Wisconsin. Unlike the official poverty measure, the Wisconsin Poverty Measure (WPM) considers tax credits and noncash benefits and adjusts for work-related and medical care expenses and relative living costs statewide and across substate regions. Using the American Community Survey and Wisconsin administrative data, the WPM shows essentially no change in state poverty rates between 2008 and 2009 and a decline between 2009 and 2010, although state poverty levels calculated via the official measure continued to increase between 2008 and 2010. We discuss the policy implications of results and how the WPM compares to the SPM and other local poverty measures.
Published Version
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