New U.S. Census Bureau data shows the number of South Dakotans living in poverty has decreased by 25 percent—but it is not as simple as people getting richer.
Using the U.S. Census Bureau's new Supplemental Poverty Measure showed 28,000 fewer people in South Dakota are living in poverty, according to a release by the South Dakota Budget and Policy Project.
Joy Smolnisky, SD Budget & Policy Project Director, said the tool for measuring poverty changed rather than the number. Smolnisky said the new measurement helps more accurately reflect the impact of poverty in individual states, because local government policies and local cost of living impact how much poverty affect families.
"So you need to take into consideration the types of cost of living and the types of local services that are available," Smolnisky said.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the new measurement includes only pre-tax money income and income after necessary expenses for critical goods and services.
According to a news release from SD Budget & Policy Project, the new measurement tool creates a clearer picture of economic reality for South Dakotans and a clearer picture of how local cost-of-living and government policies impact reality. When it is all said and done, 88,000 South Dakotans still have incomes below poverty.
