Community
Service Council

Main Towers Building
16 East 16th Street,
Suite 202
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119-4402

918 / 585-5551 phone
918 / 585-3285 fax

E-mail the Council

The Council is a citizen-
led non-profit United Way member agency

 

and a member of the
National Association
of Planning Councils

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Copyright© 2009
Community Service Council

For most recent data, please see the 2006 Community Profile Report.

Seeking current national data about CHILDREN?  Here, as a PDF file, is a convenient guide to a wealth of data from childstats.gov.

Below is information about children in poverty, prepared in 2000; see the DATA page for more recent data.

The Changing Nature & Impact of Poverty
Implications for children & families

The Community Service Council is assessing the changing nature of poverty, especially its impact on young children and families.  Special focus is on the growth of the working poor population. 

(The trends are alarming.  Clearly, community action is needed to build a brighter future for children.  Fortunately, research has shown us WHAT WORKS.)

Concern is growing about poverty and related problems affecting children under 5 in the Tulsa community.  Click here for more information about Tulsa children under 5. 
 

2004 HHS Poverty Guidelines by Size of Family

Eligibility for health care, child care and other income supports is computed on the basis of these official poverty guidelines.   (Hourly wage is computed using a total of 2,080 hours worked per year.)

 SOURCE:  Federal Register, Vol. 69, No. 30, February 13, 2004, pp. 7336-7338.

More Tulsans -- especially children -- are living in poverty.

In 1989, 13% of Tulsa County’s population were poor.  The Census Bureau estimates that in 1995 the percentage had risen to 16%.

Children, especially those under five, are the poorest segment of our population. In 1989, 18% of all children and 20% of children under five were poor.   The Census Bureau estimates that in 1995, 24% of all Tulsa County children (under 18) were poor.

Half of Black children, and over a quarter of Hispanic and American Indian children, were poor in 1989; the majority of poor children, however, were white.

Among families, female-headed families with children are the poorest: 43% of female-headed families with children under 18, and 57% of those with children under five were living in poverty in 1989.

Tulsa County has seen a dramatic increase in single parent female-headed households with children under 18.

Between 1970 and 1990 in Tulsa County, the number of children living in female-headed households grew by 56%; the total number of children dropped by 5%.

The proportion of children living in female-headed households rose from 11% in 1970 to 19% in 1990.  Growth in this category was seen among children of every race and among children of Hispanic origin.  Black children are the most likely to live in female-headed households: 44% in 1990.

The number of Tulsa Public elementary students eligible for the Free Lunch Program has greatly increased.

Both the number and percent of Tulsa Public elementary school students eligible for the free lunch program have been climbing steadily for over a decade.

During the 1996/97 school year, 57% of all Tulsa Public elementary school students were eligible; in some individual schools, nearly 100% were eligible.

 

The material above is part of a presentation made to more than 250 volunteers involved with the Tulsa Area United Way fund distribution process.  Contact the Council to schedule a presentation for your organization.

Children Under 5
TULSA COUNTY and OKLAHOMA

Prepared by the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa - February 2000

75.0%     White

11.5%     Black

5.0%     Native American

2.2%     Asian

0.5%     Other

5.8%     Hispanic Origin (not included in above numbers)

(Source: Tulsa City-County Health Dept., 1999)

For children under 5 in Tulsa County, increase in poverty population vs. increase in total population, 1980-1995:

134.0% vs. +9.3%

(Source: U.S. Census, 1995)

21,100, or 52% (estimated)

Note: FPL – Federal Poverty Level

(Source: U.S. Census, State and National Poverty Rate Estimates, 1999)

Numbers and percentages of Tulsa County children under 5 eligible vs. enrolled in Medicaid:

<1 year old…… 4500 vs. 3288 - or 74%

1 year old……   4300 vs. 3253 - or 76%

2 years old……  4100 vs. 2076 - or 51%

3 years old……  4100 vs. 1719 - or 42%

4 years old……  4100 vs. 1666 - or 41%

(Source: DHS Bulletin, December 1999)

Percentage of Tulsa County households with children under 5 regularly using child care facilities:

56% of households with children under 3

64% of households with children ages 3-4

Over half of households with incomes < $30,000

(Source: Community Service Council study, 1999)

Teens:

Tulsa County - 14.5% of births - 1,266

Oklahoma - 16.8% of births - 8,104

Unmarried teens:

Tulsa County - 75.8% of teen births - 950

Oklahoma - 69.2% of teen births - 5,608

Unmarried mothers:

Tulsa County - 33.0% of births - 2,880

Oklahoma - 32.7% of births - 15,750

(Source: Oklahoma State Dept. of Health, 1997)

What Works to Prevent Crime, Youth Violence and Substance Abuse?

The Metropolitan Human Services Commission has published a summary of the findings of an evaluation of state and local crime prevention programs funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.  Here's the summary as a PDF file (posted 9/2000).