Report: 1 in 3 Miss. families can’t pay bills

Published 2:39 pm Friday, December 18, 2009

A report released Wednesday by the Mississippi Economic Policy Center shows nearly one in three Mississippi households doesn’t earn enough to cover basic living expenses.

Findings in the report, “Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Mississippi,” drew on U.S. Census data from 2007, before the nation’s economy had entered a recession.

The study shows that a lack of adequate income impacts a disproportionate number of African Americans, households headed by women, and families with young children, but all household types are affected.

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Enterprise Corporation of the Delta CEO Bill Bynum says the report should lead to policy decisions to address the problem.