The official poverty rate in the United States rose in 2008 to 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007.
In 2008, 39.8 million people were in poverty, up from 37.3 million in 2007 — the second consecutive annual increase in the number of people in poverty.
Between 2000-2008, the number of poor Americans grew by more than nine million.
The number of people living in extreme poverty, that is, those with incomes below half the poverty line, rose to over 17 million people. That is the highest level on record since data first became available in 1975.
