Statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau Tuesday named Milwaukee the fourth poorest large city in the country in 2009.
The overall poverty rate in Milwaukee in 2009 jumped by 3.6 points to 27 percent, a rate only surpassed by Buffalo at 28.8 percent, Cleveland at 35 percent and Detroit at 36.4 percent.
""Tom has said it's unacceptable,"" said Phil Walzack, spokesperson for Milwaukee Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett, adding that these statistics show the necessity to create an economic environment hospitable to growth.
Milwaukee County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker's spokesperson Jill Bader said ""it's unacceptable that our state includes the fourth poorest city in the country.""
""This is yet another example of disastrous [Gov.] Jim Doyle and Tom Barrett policies that are costing jobs and hurting families across Wisconsin, and especially in Milwaukee,"" she said.
Madison also saw a significant rise in poverty between 2008 and 2009, with a poverty rate of 21.4 percent, 3.7 points higher than the year before.
Of those who were over 25 years old and below the poverty line in Madison in 2009, 51.1 percent received a bachelor's degree and 22.2 percent received some sort of graduate degree.
Although the state's overall poverty rate rose by 2 points to 12.4 percent in 2009, it was ranked 31st in the Union, and was 1.9 percentage points below the national average.
