According to the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, the new census data shows some serious, entrenched poverty in the District. The numbers are brutal—-especially for those living in Ward 7 and Ward 8. More than one in four children in D.C. are living in poverty, the data shows. The poverty rate among children rose from roughly 22 percent in 2007 to 29 percent in 2009. And we spent how much time debating streetcars during the primary?

DCFPI reports: “Some 61,000 resident—-11 percent of all residents—-live below half of the poverty line, or just under $11,000 for a family of four. This represents an increase of 14,000 extremely poor residents.”

For East of the River residents, the poverty rate rose from 27 percent in 2007 to 34 percent in 2009. That’s a third of residents living in Wards 7 and 8.

The Institute also reports:

“The new Census data show that median household income increased from $56,000 in 2007 to $59,000 in 2009, but the gain has been confined to a Census-defined area in the center of the city that includes parts of Wards 1, 2, and 6. Median income in this area rose from $60,000 in 2007 to $74,000 in 2009. By contrast, median household income east of the Anacostia River dropped from $32,100 in 2007 to $30,700 in 2009.”