Poverty Rate Spiked To 15.1 Percent Last Year, Highest Since 1993
The nation's official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent, up from 14.3 percent in 2009,"
the Census Bureau just reported.
It adds that this is "the third consecutive annual increase in the poverty rate. There were 46.2 million people in poverty in 2010, up from 43.6 million in 2009 — the fourth consecutive annual increase and the largest number in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published."
A family of four is officially classified as poor if its annual cash income, before taxes, is $22,314 or less. For a two-person household, the threshold is $14,218. Those figures do not include any accumulated wealth or "noncash aid such as food stamps,"