Providence American: Progress for some, not all Rhode Island families

Low-income people who work hard and play by the rules should be able to build a better life for themselves and their families. A new report by Prosperity Now (formerly CFED) shows that while Rhode Island has made some progress to help low-income families build a more prosperous future, more remains to be done.

The 2018 Prosperity Now
Scorecard found that unemployment in Rhode Island is at its lowest rate in more than a decade, and average annual pay for workers increased slightly in the last year. Despite these gains, however, income inequality remains a significant problem for the state; the richest 20% of households now earn 5.3 times more than the poorest 20%, a disparity larger than that of most other states.

Rhode Island fares best (compared to other outcome categories, as well as to other
states) in health care, ranking 10^th overall. The Ocean State's lowest ranking category is homeownership and housing, in which we rank 49^th.

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