Florida’s Childhood Poverty Numbers Trending in the Right Direction

Brand new childhood poverty data shows the number of Florida children living in poverty has dropped to 763,527 – down more than 10,000 from last year. This marks the sixth consecutive year that childhood poverty in Florida has decreased from over 900,000 when the Florida 2030 Blueprint was launched in 2018.

While the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Florida Prosperity Project, a full-time effort led by Florida’s job creators, aims to cut childhood poverty in half by 2030 and build sustainable pathways to prosperity for all, the Florida Chamber Foundation’s research team is hard at work analyzing the latest data to work with the business community in informing efforts throughout Florida.

“The Florida Chamber Foundation believes ensuring every Floridian, regardless of their zip code, has an equal opportunity at earned success is one of the most important economic challenges we face as a society,” said Florida Chamber Foundation President Mark Wilson. “When I testified before congress in 2016 on the challenges Floridians face regarding equality of opportunity, the percentage of Florida children living in poverty was 23.3%; it’s now at 18.2%. This is a testament to the collective work of Florida’s leaders addressing this issue down to the zip code level, but there is more work to be done and we can’t do it alone.”

The Florida Chamber Foundation continues its work with Florida’s job creators in all 983 zip codes to build on its nationally recognized model for turning pockets of excellence, into patterns of success.

“This latest data and analysis allow us to examine where Florida’s united efforts are most effective, and where gaps may exist that need to be addressed. I want to thank those business leaders that serve on the Florida Prosperity Project, as their insights, energy, and voices have helped our efforts around the state and nation. As we continue to analyze this information and provide invaluable insights through TheFloridaScorecard.org and Florida Gap Map, I am confident the business community will respond with targeted investment and thoughtful resources to support children on the pathway to prosperity,” said Florida Chamber Foundation Senior Vice President of Equality of Opportunity Kyle Baltuch.

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Florida Prosperity Project will be hosting a FREE public webinar “Behind the Numbers: Latest Analysis on Florida’s Childhood Poverty, on December 16, 2:00PM-3:00PM EST. The webinar will provide a deep dive analysis into Florida’s recently released childhood poverty metrics, review promising practices that are moving the needle across Florida, and share how Florida job creators can get involved with cutting childhood poverty in their community.

To register for the webinar, click here.