Federal Reserve Banks. The US economy: A lost decade? How did the US debt get so bad? Tom Friedman: America could face a bad century. Number of Americans in poverty hits record high. 14 September 2011Last updated at 02:43 President Obama last week launched a new jobs plan to try to increase employment opportunities The number of Americans living in poverty rose to 46.2 million last year, nearly one in six people, according to the US Census Bureau's annual report.
The 2010 data shows the poverty rate at 15.1%, from 14.3% in 2009. The number of Americans without health insurance also rose slightly to 49.9 million. The poverty rate was the highest since 1983, and tied with the level in 1993. The number of Americans living below the poverty line has now risen for four years in a row. The US definition of poverty is an annual income of $22,314 (£14,129), or less for a family of four, and $11,139 for a single person. More poor children The Census Bureau data also showed that poverty among black and Hispanic people was much higher than for the overall US population last year - at 27.4% and 26.6% respectively. Even younger Americans were also strongly affected. 'Nobody hiring' Chancellor Alistair Darling on brink of second bailout for banks - Times Online. Crash Course: Chapter 10 - Inflation (1 of 2) by Chris Martenson.