Dr. Daraius Irani is the director of Towson University’s Regional Economic Studies Institute and associate vice president of economic and community outreach, where he studies economic trends and makes predictions for private companies and government agencies. Irani spoke with The Examiner about Maryland’s dual rise in median household income and households living in poverty.

Why did most Baltimore-area jurisdictions see an increase in the number of families in poverty?

With rising food and fuel prices entering the equation, even if people’s incomes stay the same, more of them might fall below the poverty line. There’s also been a slowdown in the retail sector, and these people are usually the first ones hired, first ones fired. Without as many skills, those people who are on the cusp may fall behind.