Census figures released Thursday say the overall poverty rate and child poverty rate in Texas fell in 2017 to their lowest levels in years.
The state enjoyed solid economic growth last year. As a result, the poverty rate in Texas fell to 14-point-seven percent, down from a peak of 18-point-five percent in 2011.
Nearly 21 percent of Texas children lived in poverty last year, a significant decline from a high of almost 27 percent in 2011. Poverty is still concentrated in places like South Texas, where the local rate is twice the statewide rate.