MISSOULA –

In Montana 34 percent of working families are low-income or have household incomes below the federal poverty threshold of $18,530 for a three-person household, according to the latest issue of the Montana Business Quarterly.

Jobs such as security guards, nurses’ aides, home health care aides, child care workers, educational assistants, ambulance drivers, bank tellers and pharmacy assistants are considered low-wage, low-reward positions, according to the infographic titled “The Working Poor,” which was compiled by Thale Dillon, director of Montana KIDS COUNT at The University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

“The typical working poor person is a white female with a high school diploma and with family responsibilities,” Dillon said.

The likelihood of being working poor is the highest in two decades, Dillon said. In 2010, there were 10.5 million individuals in the U.S. classified as working poor with incomes below the poverty level.

Other articles in the summer issue of the Montana Business Quarterly include:

• “Entrepreneurship Meets Innovation: UM Partnership Helps Inventions Become Viable Business Enterprises;”
• “Transportation Systems Key to Montana’s Future;” and
• “Manufacturing Outlook: Modest Improvement and Employment Growth in Some Sectors.”

 The Montana Business Quarterly is published by UM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research and is partially supported by the Missoula Federal Credit Union. Annual subscriptions are available for $35. For more information or to subscribe, go to http://www.bber.umt.edu/ or call 406-243-5113.

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