State`s poverty rate fell in `16
(World News USA)

The percentage of Arkansans living below the poverty line has declined to its lowest level since 2005, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Arkansas` poverty rate of 17.2 percent moved the state from 47th in the nation to 44th when compared with other states and the District of Columbia from 2015-16, according to the data. The state`s median household income of $44,334 moved one spot -- from 50th to 49th nationally, ahead of West Virginia and Mississippi. The decline in poverty and an increase in income are consistent with recent years of economic growth and decreasing unemployment, said Michael Pakko, chief economist at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute at the...