Recession deals Burbank some blows

More Burbank residents were unemployed and without health insurance last year than in 2007 and 2009, respectively, according to 2011 census estimates released this week.

Unemployment among Burbank workers reached 8.4% in 2011, up from 5.2% in 2007, highlighting the crippling effects of the economic crisis, which has cost millions of Americans their jobs and homes. But Burbank workers proved to be better off than Americans nationwide, as the national unemployment rate reached 10.3% last year, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

According to the data, more of Burbank’s labor force reported working from home — 5.9% in 2011, compared to 3.2% in 2007.

More Burbank residents were also without health insurance last year —16.5% — than in 2009, when the rate was down to 12%. The percentage is higher among employed workers — 21.1% of the city’s employed workers lacked health insurance in 2011, up from 12% in 2009.

Despite the economic calamity, the median household income in Burbank has remained stable in recent years, reaching $64,147 in 2011, with 19.6% of workers making between $50,000 and $74,999. In 2011, 3.5% of the Burbank population made $200,000 or more, according to the data.

More American families — 11.7% — were living in poverty in 2011 than at any time since 2007. In contrast, 4.5% of Burbank families were living below the poverty line in 2011. Last year, 11.7% of single mothers living in Burbank with kids under 18 years old reportedly were living in poverty.

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