Poverty in US

[Spring Onion]

Number of poor in US climbs to 39.8 million: Census Bureau
AFP 10 September 2009, 09:19pm IST
Print Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: |

WASHINGTON: Nearly 40 million people lived in poverty in the United States last year as the recession forced the first significant rise in the US
poverty rate in five years, the US Census Bureau said in a report on Thursday.
The official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007, according to the Census Bureau's annual "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States" report.

The rise marked the first time since 2004, when the poverty rate climbed from 12.5 percent to 12.7 percent, that the percentage measure of US poor rose significantly, said David Johnson, head of the Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division at the Census Bureau.

"2008 represented a period that was entirely within the recessionary period, which started in December 2007, so I think everyone expected an increase in the poverty rate," he said.

The number of Americans who lived in poverty also rose last year, from 37.3 million people in 2007 to 39.8 million people in 2008, "a level that is similar to other high levels we have experienced, in 1993 and 1960," said Johnson.

In the United States, a person or family is considered poor if their income is less than the poverty threshold for their size of household.

The poverty threshold for one person in 2008 was just under 11,000 dollars, and for a family of four was 22,025 dollars. AFP


Number of poor in US climbs to 39.8 million: Census Bureau - US - World - NEWS - The Times of India

 

[Thomas]

Number of poor in US climbs to 39.8 million: Census Bureau
AFP 10 September 2009, 09:19pm IST
Print Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: |

WASHINGTON: Nearly 40 million people lived in poverty in the United States last year as the recession forced the first significant rise in the US
poverty rate in five years, the US Census Bureau said in a report on Thursday.
The official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007, according to the Census Bureau's annual "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States" report.

The rise marked the first time since 2004, when the poverty rate climbed from 12.5 percent to 12.7 percent, that the percentage measure of US poor rose significantly, said David Johnson, head of the Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division at the Census Bureau.

"2008 represented a period that was entirely within the recessionary period, which started in December 2007, so I think everyone expected an increase in the poverty rate," he said.

The number of Americans who lived in poverty also rose last year, from 37.3 million people in 2007 to 39.8 million people in 2008, "a level that is similar to other high levels we have experienced, in 1993 and 1960," said Johnson.

In the United States, a person or family is considered poor if their income is less than the poverty threshold for their size of household.

The poverty threshold for one person in 2008 was just under 11,000 dollars, and for a family of four was 22,025 dollars. AFP


Number of poor in US climbs to 39.8 million: Census Bureau - US - World - NEWS - The Times of India

it is true the U.S. has a large number of poor. what those figures fail to show though is all the housing and food assistance they can get. However what does get many Americans angry. is the generational welfare that many of these programs encourage. Many grow up being taught how to exploit the system. They feel the Government owes them. They feel no need to go out and get a job

The poor in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh I'm sure. would love to have the advantages U.S. poor can get.

 

[K^se]

Does this context represent the number of 14 million illegal aliens that crossed the border of Mexico in the state of California alone? The millions of other immigrants coming into the U.S seeking a better life for them and their family, we have the best Universities in the world (MIT, UC's, Ivy League, Cal Tech, etc...) coming from basically countries that aren't much industrialized and don't a government with the amount of rights that we do? Yeah I agree poverty has grown a lot in the U.S since last year, and by the end of this year the percent of people out of jobs will be 10%.. That doesn't change the fact if there are major economical implications here, what would the catastrophe of that magnitude have on other nations? IT's still better to live here than most other countries...Only other country that are doing well, and which I personally have 1st hand experience are Norway and Switzerland that have not been affected by the global economical issues as it has for other nations..