Disturbing report on Indiana’s middle class

INDIANAPOLIS – Based on ample anecdotal evidence, one could rightly conclude that Indiana’s middle class is struggling to make ends meet. Unfortunately, raw statistics are substantiating the economic difficulties borne by Indiana’s middle class.

An exhaustive report analyzing the general state of Indiana’s economy is now available online from the Indiana Institute for Working Families.

[The full report, “Status of Working Families in Indiana: Measuring Indiana’s Economy by the Economic Health of Working Families,” is also available for download from the Indiana House Democratic Caucus website.]

Fortunately, the report includes recommendations for policy- and legislation-driven solutions to the issues identified as serious obstacles to economic security for millions of Hoosiers.

Here are just a few distressing statistics from this report:

Indiana was 1 of 17 states to see statistically significant increases in poverty rates; only 5 states have seen larger percentage increases in low-income individuals since the recession began;

unemployment in Indiana has remained above the national average for 11 straight months; and

nearly 46 percent of Indiana children are classified as living in “low-income” situations.