Poverty in America Facts
For millions of poor Americans, hope for a better life seems futile. But it doesn't have to be this way. Through The Sound Off for Poverty, youth can help make a difference in the lives of people in need!
There are nearly 40 million people living in poverty in the United States; that's nearly one in every seven Americans. Poverty crosses every barrier—age, race, gender, and family situation—but most Americans in poverty are children, elderly, or people unable to work due to illness or disability.
The poverty rate for children is higher than for any other age group. In fact, U.S. children are nearly twice as likely as adults to be poor. The overall figures are staggering. In 2008, over 14 million children—19 percent of all children in this country—were living below the poverty line.
Over 95 million Americans experience housing issues such as excessive cost burdens, overcrowding, severe physical deficiencies (no hot water, no electricity, no toilet, or no bathtub or shower), and homelessness (including families who are sleeping in cars or abandoned buildings, or constantly on the move from friend to friend).
Over 36 million Americans experience food insecurity each year, which means they do not have enough food due to lack of financial resources. (In young children, even mild undernourishment can impact the development of their brain, behavior, and ability to learn.)
For more facts on poverty in America, click here
- Children in Poverty
- The Elderly in Poverty
- Ethnic Inequality in Poverty
- Homelessness
- Health Care & Insurance
- Hunger
Children in Poverty
The poverty rate for children is higher than for any other age group. In fact, U.S. children are nearly twice as likely as adults to be poor. The overall figures are staggering. In 2006, 13 million children — 18 percent of all children in this country — were living below the poverty line. The face of deprivation in our land is multiethnic. People are frequently surprised to learn that a large number of the poor children in the U.S. are white. Still, it is minority children who are most often victimized by poverty’s destructive impact. In 2006, 33 percent of black and 27 percent of Hispanic children lived in poverty, compared with 14 percent of white children. Home situations are a contributing factor as well — 42 percent of children in families headed by single women were poor in 2006. That is more than five times higher than the percentage of children living in families with married parents who were impoverished.
A lack of resources continues to devastate millions of lives. In 2007, the number of families with children who lived in extreme poverty — those living with an annual income below $10,600 for a family of four — rose nearly to 5.8 million, a 24.5 percent increase since 2000.
The Elderly in Poverty
In 2007, 3.6 million seniors 65 years and older were living in poverty — that is 9.7 percent of the elderly in this nation.
After a lifetime spent working hard and contributing to the welfare of their families and communities, many people are no longer able to make ends meet. Unforeseen circumstances such as illness, plummeting retirement funds, and diminished Social Security payments have left many seniors unable to provide for their own basic needs.
Many government and nonprofit agencies are seeing a 20 to 30 percent increase in seniors’ requests for assistance with bills, food stamps, and other essential resources.
Ethnic Inequality in Poverty
Poverty can be found in every state in the U.S., in every major city, in many suburban neighborhoods, and in most rural communities. But poverty’s inability to discriminate stops there. Unfortunately, the poor are much more likely to be a part of America’s minority populations. In 2007, the poverty rate was 24.5 percent for blacks, 21.5 percent for Hispanics, 10.2 percent for Asians, and 8.2 percent for whites.
Unemployment
Over 13 million people are currently unemployed in the United States.
In May 2009, the national unemployment rate stood at 9.4 percent, jumping from 7.2 percent since the end of December 2008. Not since 1983 has the United States seen such a high number. But the real national unemployment rate is far worse. That's because the official rate doesn't include the 3.7 million-plus people who are reluctantly working only part-time because of the poor labor market, and the workers who have given up looking for work altogether. When these individuals are added to the numbers, the unemployment rate rises to 15.6 percent, a 6.3 percent increase from this time last year.
Homelessness
Over 30 million households experience housing issues such as excessive cost burdens, overcrowding, severe physical deficiencies (no hot water, no electricity, no toilet, or no bathtub or shower), and homelessness (including families who are sleeping in cars or abandoned buildings, or constantly on the move from friend to friend).
Most experts state that on any given night, anywhere from 700,000 to 2 million people are homeless, including as many as 252,000 to 720,000 families with children. A recent report indicates that 1 in 50 children is homeless in the United States every year, thus placing estimates as high as over 1.5 million children possibly experiencing homelessness this year. Homeless advocates expect things to get worse. The National Alliance to End Homelessness projects 3.4 million people will be homeless at some point in the coming year — an increase of 35 percent since December 2007.
In a survey of over 1,700 school districts nationwide, 69 percent reported half or more as many homeless students during the first few months of the 2008-2009 school year as during the entire previous year.
Health Care and Insurance
Every 30 seconds, someone in the United States files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem.
A recent study by the federal government reported that 15.3 percent of Americans do not have health insurance; another study by the advocacy group Family USA found that 1 in 3 non-elderly Americans have not had insurance coverage for any period of time in the last 2 years.
Since 1994, the last time that the federal government explored the possibility of national healthcare reform, 9 million more Americans have joined the ranks of the uninsured, totaling 45.7 million people — 26.9 million of which are working individuals and families. Some experts estimate that the number of uninsured Americans has grown to 48 million in the past two years. An additional 25 million people are considered to be underinsured — those with minimal coverage and who spend over 10 percent of their income on out-of-pocket medical costs. Insurance premiums have been rising more than eight times faster than people’s earnings in recent years, leaving many to make the difficult decision to forgo all insurance coverage.
Hunger
Food shelves around the nation are seeing a record-breaking number of clients; some are reporting 15 to 20 percent increases in requests for assistance from previous years. Before the economic recession, an estimated 25 million Americans used food banks each year.
Currently 32.2 million Americans — one out of ten Americans — are receiving food stamps. In the past 10 months, this figure has increased by 4.3 million individuals requesting assistance.
Over 35 million Americans experience food insecurity each year, which means they do not have enough food due to lack of financial resources. (In young children, even mild undernourishment can impact the development of their brain, behavior, and ability to learn.)