Minnesota's suburbs see child poverty double

Photo: Andrea Allen

The view from the cul-de-sac ain't so rosy in Minnesota suburbs.

​The recession has been kicking the ticky-tacky out of the suburbs, according some new data from the U.S. Census. Once a symbol of post-World War II prosperity, the homes on Minnesota's suburban cul-de-sacs are increasingly home to the poor and unemployed.

In Anoka County, unemployment leaped from 3.3 to 6.8 percent between 2008 and 2009. In Washington County over the same time span, 1.7 percent more people had no insurance. In Anoka, Washington and Dakota counties the number of children living in poverty rose significantly, actually doubling in Dakota county from 2008 to 2009.

Minnesota is one of two states where the ranks of the uninsured swelled and a significant reason why is what's happening in the 'burbs.

The figures are from the American Community Survey, an annual questionnaire put out by the Census.

Other major cities around the country also saw a suburban slump in the figures, including Washington D.C and Philadelphia.

Reports on significant trends nationally are available here, and the full data sets are here.