TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Nearly three million Floridians are currently living in poverty according to the 2018 Center for American Progress.
Data shows 14 percent of those living in Florida have incomes below the poverty line, compared to 12 percent nationally.
Contributing factors include healthcare and childcare costs, as well as the need for affordable housing options.
Jay Revell with the Chamber of Commerce, says the Capital City's unemployment rate is the lowest it's been in about 20 years.
Sounds like good news, but Revell says it brings new problems.
"It means two things. A, companies may not be looking to hire as much. And B, if they are the pool of applicants that they may get would be severely shorter than it would normally be when there's an active job market, when people are actively going out seeking more opportunities to work," said Revell.
Revell says raising the minimum hourly wage could help reverse the poverty trend in Tallahassee, but it could also hurt local companies.
