Poverty
Based on American Census Survey estimates from 2017, about 11,382 people (of Billings’ 105,637 residents) are in poverty. This makes the poverty rate in the city 10.8%. This is lower than both the national (12.3%) and state (12.5%) rates of poverty. Based on this percentage, “one out of every 9.3 residents in Billings lives in poverty."
The age group with the highest rate of poverty is children under six with a 15.2% of this demographic considered impoverished. This age group is estimated to contain 7,398 children, meaning approximately 1,125 children under 5 are in poverty. Regarding poverty based on race, we see some rates that are not surprising based on what we read this module. White people make up 83.1% of Billings’ population and only 9.6% of impoverished residents. The group that deals with poverty at the highest rates are Native Americans. They make up 4.1% of Billings’ population but an astonishing 28.7% of those who are below the poverty line in the city. By sex, there are also some disparities in poverty. 12.4% of women in the city are in poverty, compared to 9% of men.
One of the most apparent impacts of poverty is homelessness, which affects about 265 Billings residents. This means that the rate of homelessness in the city is ~0.24%- higher than the national rate of 0.17%. Poverty also has an impact on the health of Yellowstone County residents. Billings makes up 68% of the population of the county, so while the following information is not focused on the city I chose, it can still give us a glimpse into the struggles its residents face. A 2014 survey conducted by the Billings Gazette asked 400 Yellowstone County residents about health-related matters. The survey divided the responses between low-income and mid to high income individuals. When asked if cost prevented them from visiting the doctor, low-income responded “yes” a little over 40% of the time, compared to under 10% of mid to high income people. The survey asked about whether the respondents were smokers, suffered from chronic depression, and a variety of other negative issues. What was consistent was that the rates of “yes” responses were always higher among low-income residents than mid to high-income earners.
One organization that aims to alleviate the issues related to poverty that Billings and Montana as a whole face is ‘Montana Rescue Mission.’ This organization provides meals, clothing, temporary housing, and job/skill training to those in need. The group provided 104,716 meals in 2019. While this is helpful in aiding the impoverished, systemic changes need to be made to eliminate poverty. I will reach out to the Billings City Council members to see what legislation they are working on to reduce poverty.
