New figures issued in a US Census Bureau report Thursday indicate a sharp rise in the poverty level in America. The figures show that 14.3 percent of Americans were below the official poverty level of $21,756 for a family of four at the end of last year.
That’s a major increase from 13.2 percent in 2008, or a total of 43.6 million people in all – the highest number since 1959. However, as a percentage of the population, the figure matches the 1994 poverty level.
The report revealed the poverty rate for children rose from 19 percent to 20.7 percent. Among the working-age population, ages 18 to 64, poverty rose from 11.7 percent to 12.9 percent. That puts it at the highest since the 1960s, when the government expanded it’s role in social welfare programs from education to health care.
“Many people who have managed to remain employed are working fewer hours or for less pay, and that also shows up in these numbers. Many people who are poor are actually working full-time and maybe even two jobs,” said Scott Allard, an associate professor in the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.
New Hampshire, with 7.8 percent poverty is about one-third the level in states like Mississippi, Arizona, New Mexico, and Arkansas.
