Governor Rick Perry likes to boast about how good the economy is in Texas. But recent polls show that one in every five Texans is living under the poverty line. While it is true that the state is responsible for 40 percent of the jobs added in the United States over the past two years but its poverty rate also growth faster than the country’s average last year. Poverty Rate

Texas is placed sixth with regards to the number of people living in poverty. In 2010, 18.4 percent of Texans were impoverished, which is up from 17.3 percent in 2009. The national average is 15.1 percent. The state also has the lowest rate of spending on its citizens per capita. It also has a high number of citizens that don’t have health insurance coverage.

The state government doesn’t have support services for those living below the poverty line. There are few food stamps and cash assistance is tough to qualify for. Governor Perry believes that creating new jobs is the best way to help the economy. He’s trying to ensure that every Texan who’s looking for a job will get one.

A lot of families in Texas live in dilapidated with no indoor plumbing and utilities. More than half of the state residents are minorities with majority of them Hispanic. They are most likely to have lower levels of education, which make it hard for them to escape poverty.