Wyoming families are less likely to live in poverty than families nationwide, but more are surviving on the brink, according to a report issued Monday.

The 2004 Wyoming KIDS COUNT Data Book, published by the Wyoming Children's Action Alliance, reports that from 2000 to 2002, about 10 percent of Wyoming families with children were at the poverty level, compared to 14 percent nationwide. About 23 percent of Wyoming families qualified as "near poverty," though, compared to 20 percent across the country.

The poverty data, compiled for the KIDS COUNT book from the National Center for Children in Poverty, shows that Wyoming experiences a handful of unusual difference from nationwide trends.

For example, about 53 percent of low-income families are headed by two parents, compared to 47 percent nationwide.

Furthermore, a majority of Wyoming families classified as low-income include at least one parent who is employed full time, and most low-income families in the state are headed by parents with more than a high school diploma or general equivalency degree.

That means that in Wyoming, even educated parents who work full time often struggle financially.

At the same time, the data shows that Wyoming children are far less likely to receive government support than low-income children throughout the country.

About 19 percent of low-income children in Wyoming receive food stamps, compared to 28 percent nationwide. Likewise, only 4 percent of low-income Wyoming children benefit from federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding, compared to 12 percent nationwide.

See Tuesday's Star-Tribune for the full story