Census report: Nevada has smallest welfare rolls

Ed Koch and Mary Manning

Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2001 | 10:51 a.m.

One doesn't have to be smart to get a good-paying job in Nevada or stay off the welfare rolls.

In fact, a lack of advanced education may work in favor of many people with a high school diploma or less and contribute to Nevada's leading the nation with the lowest percentage of households receiving welfare, food stamps and utility assistance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The bureau on Monday released the results of a supplemental study that found that just 11.9 percent of Nevadans receive either public assistance or noncash benefits. All other states have greater than 12 percent, with New Hampshire second at 12.1 percent.

The supplemental study was based on a survey of 700,000 U.S. households including only 450 in Nevada. There is a margin of error of about 10 percent, which is more than double that of most public opinion polls. The supplemental study was done during the past 12 months.

"Normally, there is a positive relationship between good jobs and a higher education, but there is a strange relationship between the two in Nevada, where a lower level of education sometimes is more beneficial in getting good job opportunities," said Mary Riddel, associate director of UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research.

"People with lower education do quite well here. That, combined with a median house selling at about the national average, people like single mothers with jobs can afford them."

While jobs in the culinary field, waitress work and domestic housekeeping are low-paying in many states, in Nevada's lucrative resort industry they are well-paying positions, often sought by people who in some cases did not graduate from high school.

"We work hard to keep people employed," said Sandy Wyand, field supervisor for the Nevada Welfare Division. "People reach self-sufficiency."

Riddel said other surveys support the census findings. A number of them have reported that Nevada has a very low average education level. But a Bureau of Economic Analysis study ranks Nevada 11th in the nation for income.

Still, many Nevadans who don't land plum resort industry jobs are struggling.

A total of 88,451 Nevada households have received public assistance income or noncash benefits in the last year.

Also, according to the Census, roughly 20 percent of the 77,150 Nevadans who are 15 years old or over -- 15,430 -- are living below the poverty level.

Nationwide, many Americans' standard of living improved over the past decade, amid a booming stock market, the growth of technology and great suburban sprawl.