By JIMMY LAWTON

St. Lawrence County is the fifth most impoverished county in New York State with one in every three kids living below the federally established poverty level, according to the state Department of Health.

The most recent data available shows 19,710 or about 20 percent of St. Lawrence County’s trackable residents live below the poverty line. That’s significantly higher than the state and federal poverty rates that are around 16 percent.

“Many people in St. Lawrence County are struggling to make ends meet,” St. Lawrence County Social Services Director Chris Rediehs said. “Many children here are in situations that are very challenging,” he said.

Education and age

The federal poverty line is the minimum level of income deemed adequate to live on. The federal poverty level is based on income and household size. Currently that level is $11,880 for an individual.

For a family of two the poverty level is set at $16,020. A family of three earning $20,160 or less is considered impoverished.

According to a report from the St. Lawrence County Community Development program, 20 percent of St. Lawrence County residents live in poverty.

About 30 percent of St. Lawrence County’s children, which is about 6,711 kids, live in poverty.

Redeih’s says living in poverty puts a strain on young students who are dealing with tough situations at home while attempting to focus on their schoolwork. He said and that while schools have programs and resources targeted to combat these problems, there is no simple solution.

“The numbers are very disturbing. It’s something a lot our school districts face. There are programs that are designed to ensure students’ nutritional needs are met and those go beyond the school lunch program,” he said. “And there are programs aimed at ensuring students get the help they need, it’s not an easy thing to target.”

The report shows about 15 percent or 10,216 adults ages 25 to 65 live in poverty and about 9 percent or 1,455 seniors live in poverty.

According to the report, education appears to play a role in poverty. About 33 percent or 2,708 adults without a high school diploma live in poverty, while only about 16 percent or 3,945 adults with a diploma live below the poverty line.

Adults with an associate’s degree fair better with only about 12.5 percent or 2,593 living in poverty and 6.4 percent or 974 adults holding a bachelors degree or higher, live in poverty.

Troubled county

Poverty levels in St. Lawrence County have grown substantially in the past 12 years. In 2004 about 15.5 percent of residents lived in poverty, that’s up to 19.7 percent in the most current data.

At times the rate has been even higher, like in 2013 where 21.4 percent of the county’s residents were living in poverty.

St. Lawrence County’s unemployment rate is about 7.2 percent. The median income for county residents is $32,077. For people with high school diplomas and no higher education, the median income is $25,801.

Redeihs pointed out that the economy in St. Lawrence County has traditionally lagged, remaining among the worst in the state.

“Job opportunities have been come increasingly difficult to access. We have, in St. Lawrence County, unusually high levels of unemployment,” he said. “That’s something that we have struggled with for many years,” he said.

Fifty-three percent of the county’s children qualify for free and reduced lunches and 46 percent of families with a female head of the household live in poverty.

About 13 percent of people with jobs do not have health insurance and about 27 percent of unemployed people do not have insurance.

While St. Lawrence County’s poverty rate is higher than the state and federal rates, there are a few counties in even worse shape.

Those are Bronx County, which has a poverty rate of 20.5 percent; Kings County with a 23.4 percent poverty rate; Franklin County where 19.7 percent of people live in poverty; and Montgomery County with 19.1 percent living below the poverty line