Almost half of Wisconsin's minority working families are not earning enough to meet their basic needs, according to a new national report.

Overall, 24 percent of working families in Wisconsin were identified as low-income. But among minority working families, that number was nearly double at 47 percent.

"The national economic crisis is not just a problem for Wall Street, it is a problem for Wisconsin's hard working families," said Laura Dresser, associate director of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy at UW-Madison.

Nationwide, more than one in four working families — or 42 million adults and children — didn't earn enough in 2006 to meet basic needs, according to the report "Still Working Hard, Still Falling Short," a follow-up to the 2004 report "Working Hard, Falling Short."

The report found that between 2002 and 2006, 350,000 more working families became low-income during a period of economic expansion, suggesting those numbers will keep growing during the current economic downturn.

Over the same period, the number of jobs paying poverty-level wages increased by 4.7 million, the report said. In Wisconsin, 20 percent of jobs paid below poverty level in 2006.

A low-income family is defined as earning less than twice the poverty level. In 2006, the poverty level was $20,614 for a family of four, putting the low-income threshold at $41,228.

The report was produced by the Working Poor Families Project, a national initiative supported by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, Joyce, and C.S. Mott Foundations.

It also found:

• 28 percent of Wisconsin children live in low-income working families.

• 21 percent of low-income working families in Wisconsin have at least one parent without a high school degree, and 50 percent have at least one parent without any post-secondary education.

• 19 percent of low-income working families in Wisconsin have no health insurance.

In addition, 59 percent of low-income working families in the state have housing costs greater than one-third of their income, an increase of more than 10 percent from 2002.

Deedra Atkinson, senior vice president for the United Way of Dane County, said the report debunks myths about low-income families, showing that 72 percent have members who work and 52 percent are headed by married couples. She emphasized the importance of making sure that children have the skills needed to start kindergarten and that students graduate from high school and receive additional training, particularly for fields such as biotechnology, where jobs are being created.

John Keckhaver, a research analyst with the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families who focuses on work force development, said two things the state could do better is combine basic adult education with job training programs and make financial aid more available to working adults who need enhanced job skills.

Dresser said that while Wisconsin "looks relatively good" compared to other states, one in five families experience "a lot of stress and a lot of hard decisions" because of their income level, and with the decline in jobs and other economic factors over the last year, that will only get worse.

In some areas, particularly for minority working families, Wisconsin fairs poorly, Dresser said. "Our whites tend to do very well, while minorities, especially African-Americans, tend to do badly."