Poverty
Between 1990 and 2000, Newport News' population below the poverty line reduced slightly from 14 percent to 13.8 percent. According to the 2000 Census, 10.4 percent of all households in Newport News had an income less than $10,000, and 12 percent of all households had an income less than $15,000, compared to 16 and 25 percent in 1990. About 11.3 percent of the City's families had incomes below the poverty level. One factor contributing to the decrease in poverty was the decrease in families having female heads of households (with no husband present). This portion of the population has traditionally been the lowest income group. In 1990, 9,534 families were female householder families (14.9 percent) compared to 8,414 female householder families (12.1 percent) in 2000.
Between 1990 and 2000, the number of families with female heads of household below the poverty line decreased. In 1990, 43.8 percent of the female householder families were below the poverty line, compared to 39.9 percent a decade later. In 2000, one in six children under the age of 18 was below the poverty line (17 percent). The poverty rate was higher for children living in female householder families (39.9 percent).
In 2000, the Census reported that Newport News’ per capita income was $17,843 while the per capita income in Virginia was $23,975. In 2000, the Census reports 15.6 percent of the City’s population was uninsured and 13.5 percent of children were uninsured. For 2003 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the City had over 25,148 people, including 10,363 children (ages 0 to 17) in poverty. This 2003 estimate would put 14 percent of the population and 19.9 percent of its children in poverty. In 2006, approximately 2.5 percent of the City’s population received assistance from TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) and 12. 2 percent received food stamps. There are more Medicaid recipients in the City than there are in other Peninsula jurisdictions. As of December 2005, approximately 18 percent of Newport News population received Medicaid.