On Labor Day, we take notice of two thin pieces of good news for Maine contained in a Census report released last week, and we worry about the bad news,

From 2002 to 2004, household income increased slightly in Maine, and the state does well in providing insurance to its residents. But the good news comes with an explainer. While Maine wages increased, the state still ranks among the lowest for household income, averaging $39,395 a year compared to the national figure of $44,473. Nationally, household incomes were flat.

And even though the state ranks among the top 10 because only 10.6 percent of its population lacks insurance, the fact that more than one in 10 people don’t have health insurance is appalling.

Nationally, the news from the report was more distressing. More Americans are living in poverty, and an additional 800,000 people lack health insurance, pushing the tally of uninsured to almost 46 million. Last year was the fourth consecutive increase in the poverty rate, and the Census Bureau estimates that 37 million people live in poverty, an increase of 1.1 million people from 2003. In 2001, 31 million people were reported to be living in poverty.

Meanwhile, the economy has been growing. But its effects haven’t been spread equally. Tax policy that benefits the wealthy and the growing gaps between the rich and poor mean that the well-to-do are profiting from the economy’s strength, while the poor are falling farther behind and the middle-class is struggling to maintain its standard of living. Wages aren’t keeping up with inflation – and that was before gasoline topped $3 a gallon.

In Maine, a comparatively generous social welfare system helps protect people from the extremes of poverty. We have more people with insurance because the state has made providing such coverage a priority, even during lean budget times.

Other states haven’t shown the same commitment – take Tennessee, for example, which this year removed more than 100,000 people from its Medicaid rolls – and it shows in the national numbers.

For too many Americans, their chances for economic security are thinner than soup made from the shadow of a single split pea. What good is a growing economy if it doesn’t translate into more security for working families? There’s money to be made in the United States, but increasingly only the already well-off are able to capitalize.