The Census Bureau released grim numbers for the state of Americans, and the U.S. economy, on Thursday. In 2009, one in every seven Americans — 14.3 percent — was living in poverty, a 1.1 percentage point jump, to the highest poverty rate in 15 years. The new data show "just how tough 2009 was," President Obama said. Here's a by-the-numbers look at America's poverty crisis:
43.6 million
Number of Americans living in poverty
$21,954
U.S. poverty line, for a family of four
$10,956
U.S. poverty line, for an individual
25.8
Percentage of black Americans who are poor
1 in 5
Number of U.S. children who live in poverty
1 in 11
Number of elderly Americans who do
23.1%
Poverty rate in Mississippi
7.8%
Rate in New Hampshire
15.1%
U.S. poverty rate in 1993
22.4%
U.S. poverty rate in 1959
16%
Peak poverty rate in the next 10 years, according to a Brookings Institution estimate
3.3 million
Number of Americans currently kept out of poverty by unemployment benefits
16.7
Percentage of Americans without health insurance
50.7 million
Number of Americans who lost health coverage in 2009
46
Percentage rise in demand at food banks in 2009
Sources: Bloomberg, CNN Money, USA Today, Slate/AP, New York, Census Bureau (PDF)
