Poverty Rate

Poverty is a lack of the usual material possessions or money. The U.S. government sets the poverty threshold and it is adjusted for inflation. The 2014 poverty level for a family of four was $23,850 a year. Most U.S. citizens will spend at least one year in poverty at least once in their lives. Poverty is higher in rural and inner cities as compared to suburban areas.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2012 conclude that 16 percent of the population and almost 20 percent of children lived in poverty. This is the highest level since 1993, and since the 1980s Americans have had consistently higher poverty rates than other wealthy nations. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2011 indicate that half of the ...