poor in us census

The American government sets the poverty line at £14,000 a year for a family of four.

45mn Americans officially designated as poor - One in seven below the poverty line

Child poverty also increased to more than one in five. That compares to one in three children in developing African nations.

One analyst said: 'The official poverty level grossly underestimates the amount of money needed to live a decent life in America today. The real number of people dealing with severe financial hardships is probably nearer 100 million.'

SOYMB also reads that one in seven rural households struggles with hunger and an estimated 2.8 million households in rural America need food assistance.
"In an area that prides itself on food production, it's hard to imagine that children go hungry," says Karen Rathke, President of Heartland United Way. "However, this past year we saw more than 50 percent of our youth in Hall County qualify for free and reduced meals at school, an indicator of stretched family budgets..."