HONOLULU (AP) — While Hawaii’s economy seems to have recovered from the Great Recession, a new report sheds light on the issues facing the state’s low-income residents.
Hawaii News Now reports (http://bit.ly/1qTX2Py ) the study from Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice shows how low-income residents have fared as the economy has stabilized. The nonprofit found that many working families are still struggling, and some are doing worse than they were before the economic downturn.
According to the report, Hawaii has the lowest wages in the country and the sixth-highest poverty rate, when adjusted for cost of living. It also says more than half of Hawaii’s public school students are economically disadvantaged.
The nonprofit’s Gavin Thornton says the findings aren’t surprising but they help state leaders understand how Hawaii’s low-income residents live.