Poverty FAQs – Part One
How many Americans live in poverty?
In our nation, one of the richest in the world, one in every eight people – 39.8 million – live in poverty. This calculation is based on the official federal guideline for poverty, which, as is discussed in the section on Measuring Poverty, is a very inadequate measurement and significantly undercounts the number of people who live without the basic necessities of life. In fact, research has consistently shown that, on average, families need an income of about twice the federal poverty level to meet their most basic needs. Thus, if we were to use a more accurate measuring guideline, the number of persons who would be counted as poor would be much higher. Even so, 39 million is an enormous number – the combined population of the states in orange on the map below.
If a more accurate method were used to measure poverty, as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences, then the official poverty rate would rise by about 44 percent – from 13.2 percent to 17.7 percent. This would mean that the number of people officially counted as poor would be more than 50 million.
top of page
How many Americans live in "extreme poverty?"
Sixteen million Americans live in "extreme poverty." This means that their incomes are below half the poverty line: $11,025 for a family of four and $5,200 for an individual. Eight million Americans live in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty where at least 40 percent of residents are poor.
top of page
How many Americans are "low-income" – incomes less than twice the poverty level?
Ninety million Americans have incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty thresholds, which is $44,100 for a family of four and $20,200 for on individual. This is nearly one-third of the total American population.
Is poverty getting better or worse?
Poverty rates declined during most of the 1990s, but they have risen significantly since 2000, even though the economy was in a recovery until 2008. In fact, 7 million more Americans are poor today than in 2000. This is the first time in recent decades that poverty has not declined significantly during an economic recovery. top of page
Return to Poverty FAQs
|
