The State of Milwaukee County’s “Working Poor” Families: An Economic Report Card

Abstract

Family poverty brought on by the lack of steady, good paying jobs and the resulting lack of adequate income support for single and married parents raising children is one of the most critical issues facing Milwaukee County. State income tax data indicate that the severe financial challenges facing the county’s “working poor” families are not being met in the current economy or by reduced government income “safety net” supports for employed families with inadequate income. This economic report card analyzes the state of Milwaukee County’s “working poor” families using 2014 Wisconsin state income tax returns filed in 2015 by working age married and single filers with dependents. The report is part of a series of studies on employment, housing, driver’s license, incarceration, health and education indicators prepared by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute since the 1990s using full count administrative databases to detail neighborhood measurements of assets and needs of workers and families in Milwaukee County zipcodes.