>> ERIC: LOT OF SHOW FOR YOU TONIGHT.

A NEW STUDY OUT ABOUT BIPARTISANSHIP BEHAVIOR AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE IS BACK FROM AN AWARD-WINNING TRIP TO D.C. AND WE WILL REMEMBER PIONEERING TWIN CITIES JOURNALIST KAREN BOROS.

>> CATHY: WE START TONIGHT WITH HOW MUCH MONEY MINNESOTANS MAKE.

NEW DATA FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU ON THURSDAY SHOWS ALMOST 10% OF THE STATE'S POPULATION IS LIVING BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE, A SLIGHT INCREASE FROM 2021 TO 2022.

AND THE DISPARITY BETWEEN WHITE MINNESOTANS AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR PERSISTS.

JOINING US WITH MORE, SUSAN BROWER IS MINNESOTA'S STATE DEMOGRAPHER, AND SHE TRACKS THESE NUMBERS CLOSELY.

IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

COMMUNITIES OF OLOR, OH, MY GOODNESS, HAVE THESE EYE-POPPING DISPARITIES.

AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR ARE INCREASING A LITTLE BIT IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, BUT THESE DISPARITIES PERSIST.

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

>> YEAH, WELL, ESPECIALLY IN THIS MOST RECENT DATA THAT WERE RELEASED THIS WEEK FOR 2022, WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE, A SOMETIMES SMALL, BUT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN POVERTY FOR SOME POPULATIONS OF COLOR.

BUT WHAT WE SAW IN 2022 IS STILL LESS THAN WHAT WE WERE SEEING EARLIER ON IN 2001.

IN 2010.

SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK BACK QUITE A WAYS AND KNOW THAT THE POVERTY RATE HAS BEEN COMING DOWN OVER THE DECADE.

AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS IS AN INCREASE, PROBABLY BECAUSE OF DISRUPTIONS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.

>> Eric: YEAH, DOES THE PANDEMIC SKEW THE NUMBERS?

AS A PROFESSIONAL HOW DO YOU DISCOUNT THAT OR ACCOUNT FOR THAT?

>> WELL, WE JUST USE IT AS CONTEXT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS.

SO WE SAW THAT POVERTY WENT UP FOR, YOU KNOW, ALL MINNESOTANS AFTER THE PANDEMIC.

IN 2021.

AND WE'RE SEEING THAT IT STAYED HIGH IN 2022.

AND WE KNOW THAT DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, THERE WAS HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT.

WHEN WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER NUMBERS LIKE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME, WE KNOW THERE WAS HIGH INFLATION.

AND SO WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL THESE CONTEXTS WHEN WE'RE INTERPRETING, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.

>> Cathy: HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT INCOME LEVELS, SAY, FOR OTHER GROUPS LIKE OLDER MINNESOTANS?

AND BREAK IT OUT IN GENDERS TOO?

>> YEAH, SO I'VE LOOKED AT THE POVERTY LEVEL FOR OLDER MINNESOTANS AND GENERALLY WHAT WE SEE, IT'S SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'VE SEEN FOR MINNESOTA OVERALL.

WE'VE SEEN POVERTY RATES DECLINE OVER THE LAST DECADE.

AND WE'VE SEEN AN UPTICK IN POVERTY FOR OLDER MINNESOTANS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

IT MAY BE DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.

BUT THIS IS ESPECIALLY CONCERNING, I THINK, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE ECONOMIC PICTURE OF OLDER ADULTS.

MANY OF THEM DON'T HAVE PLANS TO REENTER THE WORKFORCE IF THEY HAVE RETIRED OR MAYBE DON'T EVEN HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO.

SO WHEN WE SEE THE POVERTY RATE TICK UP FOR OLDER ADULTS, IT'S ESPECIALLY CONCERNING.

>> Eric: FOR EVERY DOLLAR A MAN MAKES, A WOMAN MAKES?

>> H, NO.

[ Laughter ] >> Eric: IT'S BEEN IN THE 70s FOR QUITE A WHILE.

I THINK IT'S ABOVE 80 NOW.

>> THAT'S A PRETTY COMPLICATED QUESTION.

>> Eric: IS IT?

ALL RIGHT, WE'LL DO THAT NEXT TIME.

ALL RIGHT, HOW ABOUT FULL TIME WORKING MEN, HOW ARE THEY DOING?

>> WELL, WHAT WE'VE SEEN FOR MOST GROUPS IN TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT GENERALLY IS WE'VE SEEN EMPLOYMENT GROW OVER -- IT'S A SIMILAR STORY TO WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING.

WE'VE SEEN EMPLOYMENT ROW OVER THE LAST DECADE, AND THEN WE SAW IT DECLINE SINCE THE PANDEMIC.

WE'VE SEEN IT GROW A LITTLE BIT SINCE THAT TIME.

IN 2022.

BUT IT HASN'T FULLY BOUNCED BACK TO WHERE WE WERE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.

SAME IS TRUE FOR WOMEN.

IT'S TRUE ACROSS MANY POPULATION GROUPS.

>> Cathy: SO THIS IS 2022 DATA.

A YEAR OLD.

MIGHT THERE BE A BIGGER CHANGES, MAYBE BASED ON TRENDS YOU'RE SEEING THAT'S IN THIS COMING YEAR, 2023?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

SO WE CAN LOOK AT UNEMPLOYMENT DATA MORE RECENTLY SINCE THESE DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM OTHER SOURCES.

AND WE KNOW THAT UNEMPLOYMENT HAS DECLINED.

SO WE HOPE IN THE FUTURE THAT WE SEE HIGHER INCOMES.

WE KNOW THAT THE INFLATION RATE IS NOT GROWING AS FAST AS IT WAS DURING THIS PERIOD.

SO WE THINK THAT WE HOPEFULLY WILL SEE PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO AFFORD BASIC LIVING EXPENSES GROW BECAUSE OF THE INFLATION CHANGE.

SO WE'VE GOT A LITTLE SNEAK PEEK INTO WHAT WE HOPE WE'LL SEE WHEN THE 2023 NUMBERS COME OUT.

>> Eric: APPRECIATE YOU COMING OVER.