D.C., suburbs show disturbing increases in childhood poverty: Three out of 10 children in the nation's capital were living in poverty last year, with the number of poor African American children rising at a breathtaking rate, according to census statistics released Tuesday.
Among black children in the city, childhood poverty shot up to 43 percent, from 36 percent in 2008 and 31 percent in 2007. That was a much sharper increase than the two percentage-point jump, to 36 percent, among poor black children nationwide last year.
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The number of poor minority children also rose in many parts of the Washington suburbs, including Montgomery County, Alexandria, Arlington County and the northern half of Fairfax County.
