Yet more information that is conveniently released after the election. From the Associated Press: "The ranks of America’s poor edged up
last year to a high of 49.7 million, based on a new census measure that
takes into account medical costs and work-related expenses. The numbers released Wednesday by the
Census Bureau are part of a newly developed supplemental poverty
measure. Devised a year ago, this measure provides a fuller picture of
poverty that the government believes can be used to assess safety-net
programs by factoring in living expenses and taxpayer-provided benefits
that the official formula leaves out."
More: "Based on the revised formula, the number
of poor people exceeded the 49 million, or 16 percent of the
population, who were living below the poverty line in 2010. That came as
more people in the slowly improving economy picked up low-wage jobs
last year but still struggled to pay living expenses. The revised
poverty rate of 16.1 percent also is higher than the record 46.2
million, or 15 percent, that the government’s official estimate reported
in September."
The article continues about poverty in America: "Hispanics and Asians also saw much
higher rates of poverty, 28 percent and 16.9 percent, respectively,
compared with rates of 25.4 percent and 12.3 percent under the official
formula. Their poverty levels rose after the government took into
account safety-net programs such as food stamps and housing, which have
lower participation among immigrants and non-English speakers. In contrast, African-Americans saw a
modest decrease in poverty, from 27.8 percent under the official rate to
25.7 percent based on the revised numbers. Among non-Hispanic whites,
poverty rose from 9.9 percent to 11 percent."
Poverty Numbers At A High
