Census: Minnesota Child Poverty Rate Hits 15 Percent

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Census Bureau is reporting that 15 percent of Minnesota's children, or about 190,000 of them, were living in poverty last year.

That's a significant increase from the 14 percent who were living in poverty in 2009, but Minnesota's child poverty rate remains among the lowest in the nation.

However, the rate remains uneven when examined by race. While about 10 percent of white children in Minnesota were in poverty last year, about 46 percent of black children lived below the poverty line.

The state's white child poverty rate was lower than the national average.

Minnesota's rate for black children was much higher than the national average of 38 percent.

The report released Thursday says Minnesota was among 12 states with child poverty rates between 12.5 and 16.5 percent.