US Poverty Rate Still at Record Highs

But figures still better than analysts' predictions
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 12, 2012 10:16 AM CDT
US Poverty Rate Still at Record Highs
In this Monday, July 30, 2012 photo, Dave Krepcho, director of the Second Harvest Food Bank, looks over a supply of goods that have arrived at the food bank warehouse in Orlando, Fla.   (AP Photo/John Raoux)

The Census Bureau says the number of Americans in poverty stood at 15% in 2011 as the number of poor remained at record highs. About 46.2 million people, or nearly 1 in 6, were in poverty. The figures were better than the expectations of analysts who had predicted an increase due to persistently high unemployment. The number in poverty in 2010 was 15.1%.

That figure improved modestly in 2011, but wage growth was weak. A University of Michigan economist calls the poverty figures surprising and a sign that expiring unemployment benefits were able to help workers for much of the year. The median, or midpoint, household income was $50,054—a 1.5% decline from 2010. (More poverty rate stories.)

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