The Surprising Poverty Levels Across the U.S.

[ST1976]

Low-income Americans face a ‘hunger cliff’ as Snap benefits are cut​

Gina Melton is facing a dilemma. Like millions of other Americans, Melton and her family relied on food assistance benefits boosted by Congress to help them through the pandemic. Now that extra cash is gone.

The reduction has hit them hard. Three of her family members are disabled and one of her daughters works to take care of them through an agency. They had already relied on credit cards to pay for medical equipment that wasn’t covered by the federal health insurance schemes Medicare or Medicaid but have had to stop paying a couple of them in order to afford food.

“When you have to choose between feeding your family and paying a credit card bill, you have to choose food,” said Melton, 62.

Around 42 million Americans are currently enrolled in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits. Congress increased Snap benefits in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. The last extra payments went out at the end of February in the remaining 32 states that were still issuing them, in addition to the District of Columbia, Guam and the US Virgin Islands.

The emergency allotments were authorized in tandem with the Covid-19 emergency declaration in March 2022, but in December 2022, Congress passed a law to end the allotments.

The lapse in the additional benefits will reduce Snap allotments for the average recipient by $90 a month, with some households losing $250 a month or more. Older adults at the minimum benefit level will see their monthly Snap benefits drop from $281 a month to $23.

Though Melton’s husband, a diabetic, is still recovering from a recent surgery, he has been considering going back to work part time at the age of 65 as the family struggles to afford basic necessities, including healthy food. They’ve cut back on food purchases and buy what’s on sale or in reduced-price bins.

“The extra food allotment was helping us a lot,” said Melton. “We’ve started shopping at lower-priced stores that don’t bag your groceries, but for a disabled person like myself, that requires me to go with a helper. We’ve also cut back on some more expensive necessities and are relying on the local food pantry more.”

The end of the expanded benefits comes at a time when US consumer debt has been on the rise, with 20.5 million Americans currently behind on their utility payments and nearly 25 million behind on credit card, auto loan or personal loan payments, the highest number since 2009. Low-wage workers in the US, who make less than $20 an hour, have experienced drops in wage growth compared with other workers in recent months.

Food prices have risen and are expected to continue to rise significantly in 2023 as well. The US Department of Agriculture estimated that all food prices will increase by 7.9% in 2023 – and they were already 9.5% higher in February 2023 compared with February 2022.

With so many Americans receiving Snap benefits because of low wages, unemployment and underemployment, the sudden end of the emergency allotment has been characterized as a “hunger cliff”.

Ellen Vollinger, Snap director for the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center, said: “The cliff is aptly named because this a very abrupt change in what people are going to have in their food budget and it’s affecting tens of millions of people.

“When the federal government doesn’t provide as much support for food, it doesn’t mean that hungry people all of a sudden are better off, or no longer need assistance, or they go away. The hunger is still there, people are still there, the need is there, but the federal government is too abrupt in shifting the burden and costs of dealing with that downstream, to states [and] localities, and puts a greater burden on charities.”

Vollinger noted that the end of emergency allotments leaves low-income families facing difficult choices around food, from forgoing meals and purchasing less to buying cheaper food.

“There’s a lot of stress, that’s why we call it a hunger cliff. It’s very precipitous,” she added.

Food banks have been bracing for a surge in demand as the expanded Snap benefits expire, with state agencies directing recipients to food pantries to help cope with the reduction in benefits.

Studies have shown that the extra payments worked. The Urban Institute found that the increased Snap benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic kept 4.2 million Americans out of poverty in the fourth quarter of 2021, reducing poverty by 9.6% and child poverty by 14% in states with emergency allotments. They also have a wider economic benefit. Every $1 invested in Snap benefits yields between $1.50 and $1.80 in economic activity during economic downturns.

A 2022 survey conducted by Propel found that among Snap recipients, there was a significant level of higher food insecurity in states where emergency allotments were cut off. In a January 2023 survey, there was an increase in the number of Snap recipients who reported skipping meals, eating less, visiting food pantries or relying on family or friends for meals compared with December 2022.

The end of the emergency Snap allotments also coincides with a push from Republicans in Congress to cut regular Snap benefits this year, despite the majority of Americans having favorable views of the benefits. A January 2023 survey conducted by Purdue University found that seven out of 10 respondents supported permanent expansions of the Snap program.

But an expansion looks very unlikely in the current Congress. In the meantime, recipients are facing tough choices.

“I just received the last one last week,” said Patricia Ameral, 67, of Massachusetts, referring to the Covid emergency benefits. “I am certain it will mean the difference between consuming less fresh produce and less meat, fresh or frozen.”

Low-income Americans face a ‘hunger cliff’ as Snap benefits are cut

The US food assistance program offered expanded benefits during the Covid emergency, but they ended last month

www.theguardian.com

 

[ST1976]

Most of the poverty is because of...

Single mom!

No wonder.


Free sex culture, feminazi propaganda...

Even in the past a single mom was also a problem, but not because of culture, but other reasons like war, famine, disease that killed her husband.

single moms are more the problem as below:
.
=>
In Britain, the recession has left many people struggling to make ends meet, but reports have shown that young people – young single mothers in particular, are feeling the worst of austerity, and many are turning to prostitution in pursuit of financial security.

Prostitution and Poverty in the UK

In Britain, the recession has left many people struggling to make ends meet, but reports have shown that some young people are turning to prostitution in pursuit of financial security.

leftfootforward.org

.

Italy Saved From Recession by Prostitution and Drugs - Newsweek

Changes to the way the EU calculates economic output mean that Italy narrowly escaped falling into recession for the third time in six years

www.newsweek.com

 

[ST1976]

Why hasn’t U.S. poverty improved in 50 years? Pulitzer-prize winning author Matthew Desmond has an answer​

Annie Nova@ANNIEREPORTER
PUBLISHED THU, MAR 23 20239:00 AM EDT

KEY POINTS

• In his new book, “Poverty, by America,” Matthew Desmond says that poverty persists in the U.S. because many Americans and large companies profit from it.
• “I want to be clear: I’m not calling for redistribution,” Desmond said. “What I’m talking about is less rich aid and more poor aid.”
• The author also has tips on how people can become “poverty abolitionists.”

Why US hasn't solved poverty

Over the last 50 years, Americans have eradicated smallpox, reduced infant mortality rates and deaths from heart disease by around 70%, added a decade to the average American’s life and invented the internet.

When it comes to the national poverty rate, however, we’ve made almost no progress. In 1970, a little more than 12% of the U.S. population was considered poor. By 2019, around 11% was.

In his new book, “Poverty, by America,” sociologist Matthew Desmond proposes a reason for that stagnation: We benefit from it.

I spoke with Desmond this month about his argument that many individuals and large U.S. companies profit from tens of millions of Americans living in poverty, and how things might finally start changing.

His last book, “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,” won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. (Our interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)

Annie Nova: Your book starts with a quote by Tolstoy: “We imagine that their sufferings are one thing, and our life another.” How are we able to be so detached from the state in which so many others are living?

Matthew Desmond: The country is so segregated. I think many of us can go about our daily lives only confronting poverty from the car window or in the news.

AN: Many financially comfortable and well-off Americans, you write, live as “unwitting enemies of the poor.” How so? Can you give an example?

MD: Sure. We have this national entitlement program that’s just not for the poor. In 2020, the nation spent $53 billion on direct housing assistance to the needy, things like public housing or vouchers that reduced rent burden. That same year, we spent over $190 billion on homeowner tax subsidies. Those are things like the home mortgage interest deduction, which homeowners are entitled to. Protecting and fighting for those subsidies leaves less money with which to fight poverty.

AN: So you think there should be fewer tax breaks like the home mortgage interest deduction and more policies to help poor Americans?
MD: I want to be clear: I’m not calling for redistribution. That entails giving up something that is mine and that I’ve earned. What I’m talking about is less rich aid and more poor aid. There was a study published recently showing that if just the top 1% of us just paid the taxes we owe — so not pay more taxes, but just stop evading tax bills — we as a nation could raise $175 billion more every year. That’s almost enough to pull everyone out of poverty.
AN: So getting the IRS to do more enforcement.
MD: Absolutely. When you are trying to fight for ambitious, bold solutions to poverty, you immediately run up against people saying, ‘Well, how will we afford it?’ And the answer is staring us right in the face. We could afford it if we allowed the IRS to do its job.

AN: Thinking that poverty in the U.S. is avoidable makes its existence feel so much worse.
MD: It makes it so much worse morally. We are such a rich country. We can confront this issue in such a more robust way than we have. And it should shame us that we haven’t. It should shame us that so many people are living with such uncertainty and agony.
AN: In what way do large companies in the U.S. profit from poverty in America?
MD: As union power started waning, wages started slagging. And then CEO compensation started growing. Corporations have used that economic power and transferred it into political power to make organizing hard and to combat unionization efforts.
AN: As a child, you blamed your father when he lost his job and the bank took your house. Why do you think that was?
MD: When you’re in the middle of something, you often grasp at the explanation that is closest to you, which is often about shame and guilt and blame. When I wrote my last book on families facing evictions, a lot of the families who lost their homes would blame themselves. But I think it’s the sociologist’s job, to quote C. Wright Mills, to turn a personal problem into a political one. Millions of people are facing this every year. This is not on you.

AN: You call on Americans to become “poverty abolitionists.” Why use the word “abolitionists”?

MD: I think that it shares with other abolitionist movements a commitment to the end of poverty. It views poverty not as something that we should get a little better at, but something we should abolish. Because it’s a sin. It’s a disgrace.

AN: What are the most impactful actions people can take to fight poverty?

MD: You can go to your Tuesday night zoning meeting in your community and you can support the affordable housing project that a lot of your neighbors are trying to kill. And you can say, “Look, I’m not going to deny other kids opportunities that my kids have had living here. I’m not going to embrace segregation. That ends with me.” You can shop at places that do right by their workers, and that don’t try to bust unions. There are also all these amazing anti-poverty movements in every state.

AN: I know you don’t have a crystal ball, but if more attention and resources aren’t directed at reducing poverty, what could the future look like for us?

MD: For folks who are struggling, it means a smaller life. It means diminished dreams. It means illnesses that don’t get solved. And for those of us who enjoy some security and prosperity, it means an affront to your sense of decency. If nothing improves, it really belies any claim to national greatness.

Why hasn't U.S. poverty improved in 50 years? Pulitzer-prize winning author Matthew Desmond has an answer

In his new book, "Poverty, by America," Matthew Desmond says that poverty persists in the U.S. because many Americans and large companies profit from it.

www.cnbc.com

.
if we have a look on the graph as below, US is twice poor than 50 years before.

families are is needed to be built a country, who don't depends on food stamp.
families needed to be built in US-west to avoid food stamp type abuses, which accounts for more than 20% US's total population
.
=>

What the data says about food stamps in the U.S.

The food stamp program is one of the larger federal social welfare initiatives, and in its current form has been around for nearly six decades.

www.pewresearch.org

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

.
if we have a look on the graph as below, US is twice poor than 50 years before.

families are is needed to be built a country, who don't depends on food stamp.
families needed to be built in US-west to avoid food stamp type abuses, which accounts for more than 20% US's total population
.
=> View attachment 1024684

What the data says about food stamps in the U.S.

The food stamp program is one of the larger federal social welfare initiatives, and in its current form has been around for nearly six decades.

www.pewresearch.org

Getting SNAP doesn't mean you are in poverty..it just means the amount of money you are making is low enough to qualify for benefits.

You could live in a $10M house and lose your $1,000,000yr job and if your salary dips down below the threshold you can apply for SNAP.

People here are misrepresenting SNAP.

Many people who are between jobs apply for SNAP simply because they are eligible for free benefits.

 

[ST1976]

double post

Getting SNAP doesn't mean you are in poverty..it just means the amount of money you are making is low enough to qualify for benefits.

You could live in a $10M house and lose your $1,000,000yr job and if your salary dips down below the threshold you can apply for SNAP.

View attachment 1027083

View attachment 1027250

People here are misrepresenting SNAP.

Many people who are between jobs apply for SNAP simply because they are eligible for free benefits.

The US poverty rate just had the largest one-year increase in history, but some regions still struggle far more​

The U.S. poverty rate saw its largest one-year increase in history. 12.4% of Americans now live in poverty according to new 2022 data from the U.S. census, an increase from 7.4% in 2021. Child poverty also more than doubled last year to 12.4% from 5.2% the year before.

The U.S. poverty level is now $13,590 for individuals and $23,030 for a family of three. The new data shows that 37.9 million people lived in poverty in 2022.

The Surprising Poverty Levels Across the U.S.

How U.S. poverty differs state by state is vital to understand

time.com

 

[ST1976]

U.S. Poverty Rate Highest in 15 Years - Sociological Images

The Society Pages (TSP) is an open-access social science project headquartered in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota

thesocietypages.org

 

[Darius77]

In terms of income disparity and poverty, the US used to be India with toilets until the Zionist fanned wars from 2001 onwards totally bankrupted it. Now its cities have as many street crappers and people living in the streets and under bridges than India proportionally. US is the only OECD nation with a declining life span.

Life expectancy for American males falls to 73 years: study​

Why the Life Expectancy Gap between Men and Women Is Growing

Women are outliving men by nearly six years—and COVID and drug overdoses are a major cause, according to a new report

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[jhungary]

You can easily find if you search a bit. And just plain obvious looking at homelessness in US.

View attachment 965217

Look at the last quintiles, Under the poorest category, you have sizeable population from N.America vs almost none from China.

....That's not how this graph denoted at all.........

The original of this graph come from UBS Global Wealth Report

Global Wealth Report 2024

The next edition of the Global Wealth Report is out in July. Sign up now to make sure you don’t miss our latest insights.

www.ubs.com

And this is the conclusion of the UBS report

The issue here is, this is about wealth distribution, not really about poverty level, as the report suggested, the report suggested the change for the wealth distribution and that the representation of the North American and European at the lower Decile quoted "reflecting the ease with which individuals – especially younger adults –acquire debt in advanced economies, often resulting in negative net wealth according to our definition of net worth."

Essentially saying these people are in lower decile because of debt accumulated. Those does not reflect on the poverty, because, well, it's literally a different parameter we are talking about. One is spent above their mean (Negative Wealth) and the other are not earning enough to sustain life (Absolute Poverty). I mean I can earn a lot of money, a lot more than median income, however, if I spend more than I earn, regardless of the income level, I will become indebted and thus have a negative net wealth, as this report suggest, that does not mean I earn and live under the poverty line........

 

[jhungary]

double post

The US poverty rate just had the largest one-year increase in history, but some regions still struggle far more​

The U.S. poverty rate saw its largest one-year increase in history. 12.4% of Americans now live in poverty according to new 2022 data from the U.S. census, an increase from 7.4% in 2021. Child poverty also more than doubled last year to 12.4% from 5.2% the year before.

The U.S. poverty level is now $13,590 for individuals and $23,030 for a family of three. The new data shows that 37.9 million people lived in poverty in 2022.

The Surprising Poverty Levels Across the U.S.

How U.S. poverty differs state by state is vital to understand

time.com

Well, had said it time and again, you cannot look at poverty level as is, because you can manipulate the data into what you are looking at. For example, the poverty level in the US are $14580 a year in CONUS

Federal Poverty Level (FPL) - Glossary

Learn about the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) by reviewing the definition in the HealthCare.gov Glossary.

www.healthcare.gov

That number is defined as

the total cost needed by the average person per year to cover basic necessities such as food, utilities, and accommodation.

Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Definition

The federal poverty level is an economic measure used to decide whether an individual or family qualifies for federal benefits and programs.

www.investopedia.com

On the other hand, the Chinese uses extreme poverty rate as poverty guideline, which is in 2020, it's 4000 RMB (~$552) a year according to this CGTN article

China's poverty line: 4,000 yuan a year per person, or $619

news.cgtn.com

That number is calculated based on food and necessity not a all rounded figure like the one HHS defined..

 

[ST1976]

Well, had said it time and again, you cannot look at poverty level as is, because you can manipulate the data into what you are looking at. For example, the poverty level in the US are $14580 a year in CONUS

Federal Poverty Level (FPL) - Glossary

Learn about the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) by reviewing the definition in the HealthCare.gov Glossary.

www.healthcare.gov

View attachment 1028316

That number is defined as

Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Definition

The federal poverty level is an economic measure used to decide whether an individual or family qualifies for federal benefits and programs.

www.investopedia.com

On the other hand, the Chinese uses extreme poverty rate as poverty guideline, which is in 2020, it's 4000 RMB (~$552) a year according to this CGTN article

China's poverty line: 4,000 yuan a year per person, or $619

news.cgtn.com

That number is calculated based on food and necessity not a all rounded figure like the one HHS defined..

In terms of income disparity and poverty, the US used to be India with toilets until the Zionist fanned wars from 2001 onwards totally bankrupted it. Now its cities have as many street crappers and people living in the streets and under bridges than India proportionally. US is the only OECD nation with a declining life span.

Life expectancy for American males falls to 73 years: study​

Why the Life Expectancy Gap between Men and Women Is Growing

Women are outliving men by nearly six years—and COVID and drug overdoses are a major cause, according to a new report

www.scientificamerican.com

Getting SNAP doesn't mean you are in poverty..it just means the amount of money you are making is low enough to qualify for benefits.

You could live in a $10M house and lose your $1,000,000yr job and if your salary dips down below the threshold you can apply for SNAP.

View attachment 1027083

View attachment 1027250

People here are misrepresenting SNAP.

Many people who are between jobs apply for SNAP simply because they are eligible for free benefits.

with that, we have one more news as below, that US's debt level is now matching its all time high WW2 level

US National Debt: Impact, Consequences and Solutions

Explore the U.S. national debt, its causes, consequences, and potential solutions. Learn about the debt's historical context and impact on the economy.

www.itsuptous.org

 

[jhungary]

with that, we have one more news as below, that US's debt level is now matching its all time high WW2 level

View attachment 1028403

US National Debt: Impact, Consequences and Solutions

Explore the U.S. national debt, its causes, consequences, and potential solutions. Learn about the debt's historical context and impact on the economy.

www.itsuptous.org

What's that have to do with poverty?

I mean I, also found a sure fire way to take care of poverty just like the next man. But National Debt have nothing to do with the question. Again Debt = Expenditure > Income while Poverty = Income < Need.

Especially when US is a debt base society since USD unlike any other currency is being used as a commodity in world trade, US Government is ALWAYS GOING to be in debt, otherwise how are the US government going to have enough currency to fund 58% of world transaction? Sure as hell they aren't printing 8 trillions USD a day to do that...

 

[ST1976]

What's that have to do with poverty?

i guess, if you have high debt then you have pressure of not borrowing more debt for your poor, as in case of USA

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

i guess, if you have high debt then you have pressure of not borrowing more debt for you poor, as in case of USA

Maybe you should finally realize you grew up in a pathetic failed state/continent when people are running away to the US (and in your case Australia) and illegally jumping the border in droves. Here are the ones who manage to get caught. 96,917

Your brother China is right behind you with 52,700 this year

You two and your Asian 3rd World countries...not much better than banana republics.

 

[jhungary]

i guess, if you have high debt then you have pressure of not borrowing more debt for you poor, as in case of USA

Again, the term "poor" is a subjective concept.

I considered myself poor if I compared to my family, I earn $71,000 AUD last year while my wife earns $105,000 AUD last year. Because compared to my family trust, which had 3 properties in the US 1 in China and 1 in Hong Kong and over $10,000,000 USD asset, me earning 71,000 last year is extremely small.

This has nothing to do with welfare, because even in welfare state like Australia, a country you are living in, the poverty rate is 12.5% or 1 in 8 living under the poverty line according to UNSW.

One in eight people in Australia is living in poverty, as cost of living pressures increase

www.unsw.edu.au

And Australia have a debt to GDP ratio of 22.3%

Australia Government Net Debt to GDP

Australia recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 43.80 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This page provides - Australia Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

tradingeconomics.com

And even in extreme welfare state like Sweden 1 in 9 (11.1%) of Swedish live under the poverty,

Poverty in Sweden - The Borgen Project

Poverty in Sweden demonstrates that all countries, even wealthy ones, can struggle from this issue. Sweden's economic policies have aided this fight.

borgenproject.org

Where as Sweden having a GDP to National Debt ratio of 32.9%.

Sweden Government Debt to GDP

Sweden recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 31.50 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2023. This page provides - Sweden Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

tradingeconomics.com

 

[ST1976]

And Australia have a debt to GDP ratio of 22.3%

Australia Government Net Debt to GDP

Australia recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 43.80 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This page provides - Australia Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

tradingeconomics.com

Australia's Debt to GDP ratio 22.3% and US's 129%, as below

this is what i said that in tough time borrowing debt is tough in USA, along with high number of poor within

United States Gross Federal Debt to GDP

The United States recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 122.30 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2023. This page provides - United States Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

tradingeconomics.com

Again, the term "poor" is a subjective concept.

I considered myself poor if I compared to my family, I earn $71,000 AUD last year while my wife earns $105,000 AUD last year. Because compared to my family trust, which had 3 properties in the US 1 in China and 1 in Hong Kong and over $10,000,000 USD asset, me earning 71,000 last year is extremely small.

This has nothing to do with welfare, because even in welfare state like Australia, a country you are living in, the poverty rate is 12.5% or 1 in 8 living under the poverty line according to UNSW.

One in eight people in Australia is living in poverty, as cost of living pressures increase

www.unsw.edu.au

And Australia have a debt to GDP ratio of 22.3%

Australia Government Net Debt to GDP

Australia recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 43.80 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This page provides - Australia Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

tradingeconomics.com

And even in extreme welfare state like Sweden 1 in 9 (11.1%) of Swedish live under the poverty,

Poverty in Sweden - The Borgen Project

Poverty in Sweden demonstrates that all countries, even wealthy ones, can struggle from this issue. Sweden's economic policies have aided this fight.

borgenproject.org

Where as Sweden having a GDP to National Debt ratio of 32.9%.

Sweden Government Debt to GDP

Sweden recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 31.50 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2023. This page provides - Sweden Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

tradingeconomics.com

a picture of EU29 is as below, including UK

https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/f45xux