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Following a nationwide trend, Utah saw poverty spike from 9.8 percent in 2007 to 11.7 percent in 2009, according to new data released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.
One of the largest increases came in Washington County, where the rate jumped from 8.9 percent in 2007 to 14.2 percent in 2009.
Ruben Garcia, director of the Dixie Care and Share Food Pantry in St. George, wasn't surprised to hear the numbers.
"A lot of our donors from previous years are now clients," he said. "There's a lot of working poor in Washington County."
The state's most populous county, Salt Lake County, saw its poverty rate rise from 9 percent in 2007 to 10.7 percent two years later. The numbers were worse in Utah County, where poverty grew from 11.4 to 14.2 percent.
Economic recovery has been slow to arrive in Utah, where food pantries continue to report an increase of nearly 40 percent or more in requests for free food. Calls to the phone number 211, the statewide help line for everything from food to Christmas help, are numbering 600 to 700 each day. The slots for Christmas gift programs such as Toys for Tots filled up in two weeks this year, nearly twice as fast as in 2009.
Reach Salt Lake, an interfaith effort to provide children gifts in holiday stockings, is continuing to take requests for Christmas help, but only through this week.
"It's really difficult for our call specialists to explain that to the families," said Jessica Pugh, a spokeswoman for Utah Food Bank, which runs the 211 program. "It's heartbreaking."
The number of Utahns relying on food stamps to help feed their families remains high, coming in at 104,648 households for November, according to newly released estimates. That number may have dipped slightly from October, when an estimated 105,205 households relied on the benefits. Other than a few small dips, food stamp use in Utah has climbed steadily for more than two years — more than doubling since November 2007.
Later this month, the Census Bureau will make a major release of American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates from 2005 to 2009, which will provide more detailed information on all counties and school districts on social, economic, housing and other factors.
How much did poverty increase from 2007 to 2009?
Cache County •
12.9 percent to 16.7 percent
Salt Lake County •
9 percent to 10.7 percent
Summit County •
5 percent to 7.3 percent
Utah County •
11.4 percent to 14.2 percent
Washington County •
8.9 percent to 14.2 percent
For more information, go to census.gov.