New Mexico's minimum wage has not been raised in nearly a decade. Worth $7.50 an hour back in 2009, it now has the purchasing power of $6.30. Nearly a quarter of a million workers and more than 100,000 children would benefit from an increase in the state minimum wage. (A Working Poor Families Project report; state-level data on selected demographics of low-wage workers)
This presentation, given at the NM Office of African American Affairs' Black Child Wellness Summit, introduces our Well-Being of Black Children in New Mexico special KIDS COUNT report on how New Mexico's Black children are doing on some 20 indicators of child well-being. (Presentation)
Child poverty in New Mexico is among the worst in the nation and disparities exist within all indicators of child well-being for children of color. Although our state's Black children are generally faring better than Black children nationally, they still face significant obstacles to success. This report, created in partnership with the NM Office of African American Affairs, looks at how New Mexico's Black children are doing on some 20 indicators of child well-being. (A special KIDS COUNT report; state-, county-, and school-district-level data on indicators of child well-being)
For more than four decades, governments have used harsh criminal punishments as the primary tool to address the possession, use, and sales of illegal substances. Complex laws and regulations have been created to penalize drug use and the possession of controlled substances. These drug laws have resulted in disparate impacts for people of color. (Policy brief; data for Bernalillo County on incarceration rates by race and ethnicity)
A PowerPoint presentation looking at how Black children fare in New Mexico. Includes findings from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Race for Results report, which shows that New Mexico's Black children fare better than Black kids across the nation in many indicators. (Presentation; state-level data on indicators of child well-being by race and ethnicity)
Having a parent incarcerated is a traumatic experience that can be along the same magnitude as abuse, domestic violence, and divorce. It also often adds to the generational pull of poverty. This fact sheet, created for the release of the national KIDS COUNT report A Shared Sentence includes New Mexico-specific data. (KIDS COUNT fact sheet; state-level data on incarceration)
Many low-wage occupations do not come with benefits like paid sick leave. So workers who are already earning low wages have to forfeit those wages in order to stay at home to tend a sick child or care for themselves. The U.S. has no national policy, so states and cities are taking up the issue. With the lowest rate in the nation of workers with paid sick leave, New Mexico has much to gain by enacting such legislation. (A Working Poor Families Project report; State-, national-, and international-level data on sick leave policies, some by race and ethnicity)
While child poverty is down slightly, New Mexico now leads the nation with the highest rate of child poverty. This annual KIDS COUNT report on child well-being presents data by county, tribal area, and school district on indicators such as the rates of health care coverage among children, preschool enrollment, child abuse, and teen births. It also tracks trends on some of these important indicators and looks at disparities across racial and ethnic lines. (Annual KIDS COUNT report; state-, county-, tribal-, and school-district-level data on indicators of child well-being, some by race and ethnicity)
New Mexico is a poor state with high rates of food insecurity and with too many adults and children suffering from nutrition-related chronic conditions. Programs that incentivize consumption of locally grown, fresh produce to food-insecure individuals offer both health benefits to low-income communities as well as economic benefits to local farmers. (Policy brief; state-level data on economic well-being and health disparities by race and ethnicity)
Raising the minimum wage is an important and effective strategy for reducing poverty particularly given the erosion of the purchasing power of the state wage since it was last raised in 2009. In New Mexico, approximately 112,000 workers are earning the current state minimum wage of $7.50. In January, New Mexico lawmakers should act to raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour by 2018. While this increase should not be considered a living wage, thousands of families would benefit. (A Fiscal Policy Project report; state-level data on characteristics of minimum wage earners, including by race and ethnicity)