Not surprising to many, recently-released statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau show that 2010 was a particularly harsh year for the Grand Canyon State, for Arizona's counties and for the state's children.
The poverty levels for almost all of Arizona's counties increased, reports the TucsonSentinel.com. Poverty levels rose as high as 34.5 percent in Apache County, and six counties saw "statistically significant increases" with Santa Cruz County seeing the largest increase, at 7 percent.
Santa Cruz County officials did not state a specific reason for the increase, but mentioned several possible causes such as a lack of education and proficiency in English.