Poverty and Economic Well-Being

Prosperity is Not Widely Shared: Closing the Gap

Maryland ranks among the top states in income disparity from wealthiest to poorest as it is the state with the highest median family income in the nation. The Institute aims to close the gap by analyzing the policies that sustain such inequalities, while advocating on policies that that will close the income gap.

Maryland Alliance for the Poor (MAP)

Founded in 1988, MAP is a coalition of service providers, faith groups, and other organizations working together to advocate for statewide public policies and programs that help Marylanders living in or near poverty.

MAP's New Publications

Their Voices - In 2009, the Maryland Alliance for the Poor undertook a project designed to give vulnerable Marylanders their own voice in the public square. MAP hired a journalist to travel the State, interviewing and writing about those living in or near poverty. The project resulted in some 30 interviews. "Their Voices" is the culmination of this work. It includes 14 of the stories, organized into sections relating to housing (“Shelter”), health (“Strength”), and work (“Support”).
2010 Briefing Book - A document that describes the issues impacting Marylanders in need and provides information on federal, state, local, and even private programs aiming to assist them. This year’s version includes more resources than ever before, including contact information for local branches of the State agencies that assist those in need.

Preview MAP's Testimony for the 2010 Legislative Session Here

Poverty Measures Update

2010 Poverty Guidelines Issued After March 31st- 2009 poverty guidelines remain in effect
New Supplemental Poverty Measure Coming this Fall- The President and his administration plans to issue a new "Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM)" alongside the current, official poverty measure. For years, many experts have argued that the official poverty measure is outdated given the changes in society and government policies and programs. 3/12/10

>>Read MBTPI Fact Sheet [PDF 3pp]

NEW: The State of Working Maryland 2009 Report is here! 12/4/09

The findings of this year’s State of Working Maryland mark a sharp departure from findings in prior years. In the past few years, we found that the overall living standard of blue- and pink-collar Marylanders was stagnating. But this year, as a result of the worst recession since the early 1980s and perhaps since the Great Depression, we find that their overall economic living standard has actually deteriorated.

The annual State of Working Maryland Report is a joint effort between the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute and the Progressive Maryland Education Fund. MB&TPI would like to thank the work of interns Shane Bailey & Brooke Rieder for the work on this report.

Today the the U.S. Census Bureau released the 2008 American Community Survey national and state poverty rates 9/29/09

State: The poverty rate for Maryland in 2008 held steady at 8.1 percent. In 2007, the poverty rate was 8.3 percent. The decline in the poverty rate from 2008 to 2007 is not statistically significant. The poverty rate is expected to worsen in 2009 due to the effects of the recession. Maryland ranks number one a third year in a row in the category of median household income. Nevertheless, Maryland's median household income has declined by $151 annually from $70,696 in 2007 to $70,545 in 2008 (in 2008 dollars).

Nation: The 2008 national poverty rate is 13.2 percent--two-tenths of a percentage point greater than 2007. This increase from last year is also statistically insignificant. The median household income in the U.S. was $52,029 in 2008. Using 2008 dollars, the median household income declined by $661 annually from 2007 to 2008.

For a more in-depth and broader picture of the economic conditions of working Marylanders preview the State of Working Maryland 2009 report.

Study Finds State Disability Assistance Prevents Street Homelessness Two-thirds of disabled poor use temporary assistance for shelter or housing

A new study released Monday by Health Care for the Homeless finds that the majority of enrollees in a state-funded disability assistance program use their modest benefits to obtain housing or shelter. Results suggest that reductions to the program may increase homelessness among vulnerable Marylanders with disabilities. >>8/24/09

TANF benefits in Maryland are less than two-fifths federal poverty level 8/11/09

According to a report by Legal Momentum, in July 2008, welfare benefit levels in every state were below the federal poverty guidelines. Since the enactment of the 1996 welfare reform legislation, benefits from the TANF program have diminished. This brief examines how scant benefits affect the ability of poor women and children to meet their basic needs. It also shows a July 2008 snapshot of state-by-state TANF benefits as a percentage of the cost of food, housing and the official poverty guideline. Click here to see report

State of Working Maryland 2008 9/19/08

Maryland has high incomes and low poverty rates. However, when viewed on its own and through time, the state’s economy has failed to produce much positive change for working families in the past seven years, and deterioration in some measures.

MB&TPI Update - 454,000 Marylanders Are Poor, 762,000 Lack Health Coverage: Slowing Economy Likely to Add to Ranks of Poor and Uninsured

Read full press release>> 8/26/08

Inequality - 4/9/08

Prosperity is Not Widely Shared

Maryland Ranks among the top states for the largest income gap between wealthiest and poorest Report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Economic Policy Institute

See Press Release

See Maryland data

See national report

Poverty in a rich state 12/2007

According to the US Census Bureau 2006 American Community Survey, Maryland has the highest median family income in the nation and the lowest poverty rate. Our revenue system protects the poor more than many other states. However, poverty in Maryland is concentrated in certain jurisdictions and segments of the population. For those families, it is all the more tragic to be poor in a rich state.

Poverty and Economic Well-Being Archive (1999-2006)>>