Virginia

According to the 2012 Census, Virginia had a poverty rate of 11.7 percent, which was much [Page 1634]lower than the national average of 15.9 percent, and it was placed 9th in the nation. Because of the recession during the latter half of 2000, there has been a slight increase in the rate of poverty in Virginia stemming from huge job losses. The state suffered the same consequences as the rest of the country did during the course of the recession during 2007–2009. Still the low poverty rate does not mean that the hardships of being poor do not affect the people in Virginia because it affects the individual, society, and children at large. Greater than 60 percent of the working poor in Virginia do not ...