The Working Poor in PovertyUSA

The U.S. Census Bureau defines poor families as those with cash incomes of less than $16,079 a year for a family of three—or $20,614 for a family of four. Yet many families with children have family members who work.

Since 2000—the last year before unemployment began to rise–—the number of people in poverty has risen by 5.4 million. 2006 was the second year that real median household income has risen in the United States from $47,845 to $48,201. Compared with 1967, the first year household income statistics were available, the real median household income has increased by 30.8 percent.

The number of people with no health insurance increased from 44.8 million in 2005 to 47 million in 2006.

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Sources:

(U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006)