Hard work, hard times
In King and Snohomish counties -- the state's most prosperous region -- nearly 300,000 people live in poverty even though at least one family member works full time.

In an ongoing series that began with a three-day special report in February 2005, the P-I takes a closer look at the region's working poor and the challenges they face. A key part of the series is an examination of the lives of those who are getting squeezed by the region's high cost of living. Read their stories below.

'I think it's getting worse'
About a fifth of our region’s residents are surviving at no more than twice the federal poverty level - less than $38,000 a year for a family of four.
- Officially, definition of poverty hasn't changed over time
- The working poor in King and Snohomish counties
- Sales tax hits state's poor where it hurts - the wallet
- Low-wage workers see fewer gains in pay raises

In His Own Words: Rob Anderson
The union electrician watched work dry up: he made $17,700 last year in a trade that paid him $60,000 only three years earlier.

In Her Own Words: Gina Alejo
The single mother and records clerk gave up her second 40-hour-a-week job so she could spend more time with her daughter, but had to pay for such necessities as groceries with credit cards carrying $10,000 in debt.

PART TWO

The other view from the top
Born the same year the Space Needle was built, Narciza Pineda, 42, a janitor at the famous landmark, is one of our city's working poor -- a largely invisible population whose labors maintain the image of Seattle.
- Tough to make it on a 'living wage'

FOLLOWUP STORIES

- Surprising face of working poor (Feb. 16, 2006)

- Families that shared stories saw luck change (Feb. 16, 2006)

- San Francisco housing out of reach -- Seattle should heed the warning (Feb. 16, 2006)

- Huge college loans eating up salaries (Jan. 26, 2006)

- Risky business: Day workers suffer injustice, injuries (Jan. 25, 2006)

- Uninsured have little hope of getting specialized care (Jan. 2, 2006)

- Working women over 70 caught in the retirement trap (Dec. 27, 2005)

- Dream of house ebbs for lower-income people (Dec. 10, 2005)

- Working families rely on Medicaid for kids (Nov. 25, 2005)

- A league of their own (Nov. 2, 2005)

- Weighed down by worry: The families on the edge (Oct. 18, 2005)

- College divide threatens to keep the poor in poverty (Sept. 27, 2005)

- Lower pay in the new economy (Sept. 5, 2005)

- Rest Stop an urban oasis for Seattle's homeless (Sept. 2, 2005)

- Census: Pay down, poverty up in King County (Aug. 31, 2005)

- Low-wage workers seen as growing force (Aug. 18, 2005)

- Grandparents: Left holding their kids' babies (Aug. 17, 2005)

- Shelter finds itself homeless (Aug. 12, 2005)

- Caring for poor barely pays rent (July 19, 2005)

- Tensions rise in Sodo as day laborers crowd sidewalks (June 29, 2005)

- Half who qualify for food stamps don't get, or want, them (June 23, 2005)

- Working teen on shaky footing (June 4, 2005)

- Payday loans offer fast help -- at a price (May 24, 2005)

- Payday loan outlets tempt soldiers and sailors (May 24, 2005)

- Starting all over in America can mean starting far down the ladder (May 23, 2005)

- A home -- and a dream -- lost (May 17, 2005)

- Soaring property taxes, cost of living run retiree out of Ballard (May 17, 2005)

- Forget buying -- low-wage workers can barely afford rent (May 17, 2005)

- It's not a Dumpster -- it's a lifeline (May 12, 2005)

- High gas prices really sting low-wage workers (April 27, 2005)

- Seattle expands free day care program to more poor families (April 19, 2005)

- Bill would study whether state's high minimum wage is a good thing (April 15, 2005)

- Working poor often pass up hefty tax break (March 29, 2005)

- One setback can send a middle-class family reeling into bankruptcy (March 15, 2005)

- Work program helps the jobless adapt (March 5, 2005)

- Poor often fall victim to fee on tax refund loans (Feb. 21, 2005)

- Feeling the federal budget squeeze (Feb. 11, 2005)

- Stories on working poor resonate with readers (Feb. 11, 2005)