WORST POVERTY FIGURES IN STATE
87,700 in Hudson living below line includes nearly quarter of children

Friday, November 27, 2009
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Hudson County had the highest poverty rate among New Jersey's 21 counties in 2008, according to new Census figures - this despite unprecedented growth along the waterfront.

The county's poverty rate in 2008 was 14.9 percent, up from 13.9 percent in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates released this week.
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The overall poverty level in New Jersey in 2008 was 8.7 percent, and the national average was 13.2 percent.

About 87,700 Hudson County residents lived in poverty last year, the Census Bureau report said.

Hudson County's poverty rate for residents under 18 years old was 23.7 percent in 2008, also the highest in the state. The statewide poverty rate for this demographic was 12.3 percent.

The county's poverty rate for children between 5 and 17 was 24 percent in 2008, also tops in the state, which had an overall poverty rate of 11 percent for that group.

These numbers came as little surprise to Derrick Menter of Bergen Avenue, a warehouse worker raising his three children, ages 9, 10 and 11.

Menter says he earns $300 to $350 per week from his warehouse job, and brings in some extra cash playing drums.

His parents help him out, as does his ex, but she's not working right now, he said.

"It's very tough. My biggest concern is for the kids, not me," Menter said. "They (the kids) grow up so fast you spend a lot of money on clothes, school supplies, uniforms. Then on top of that, there's my own bills."

Urban League of Hudson County President Elnora Watson said even people with advanced skills are now on the unemployment line.

"The characteristics of those who come in looking for jobs has changed to people with higher skills," Watson said. "We know the resources we have and we have to try to be more creative and try to stretch them to serve more people."

Hudson County ranked highest in poverty despite having a higher median income than four other counties, the data revealed.

The median household income in Hudson was $54,800 for 2008. By comparison, Cumberland County ranked last with at $49,720. Hunterdon County had the highest median household income in the state last year, $102,249.

Mississippi's poverty rate was the highest in the nation, 20.8 percent. New Hampshire's poverty rate of 7.8 percent was the lowest of any state last year.

1 Bayonne
2 Jersey City
3 Hoboken
4 Union City
5 West New York
6 Guttenberg
7 Secaucus
8 Kearny
9 Harrison
10 East Newark
11 North Bergen Township
12 Weehawken Township