Startling+Information

=Startling Information = Erica

" The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary  by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family's  total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every  individual in it is considered in poverty." - U.S. Census Bureau

In the US...

 * The official poverty rate in 2009 was 14.3 percent — up from 13.2 percent in 2008 (U.S. Census Bureau).


 * In 2009, 43.6 million people were in poverty, up from 39.8 million in 2008 (U.S. Census Bureau).


 * Between 2008 and 2009, the poverty rate increased from 8.6% to 9.4% for Caucasians, rose from 24.7% to 25.8% for African Americans, and increased from 23.2% to 25.3% for Hispanics. The poverty rate for Asians stayed at 12.5% (U.S. Census Bureau).


 * The poverty rate in 2009 (14.3 percent) was the highest poverty rate since 1994 (U.S. Census Bureau).


 * The number of people in poverty in 2009 (43.6 million) is the largest number in the 51 years for which poverty estimates have been published (U.S. Census Bureau).


 * The poverty rate for children under the age of 18 increased from 19.0% to 20.7% from 2008-2009, and rose from 11.7% to 12.9% for people aged 18-64 (U.S. Census Bureau). This is a major increase from 2001, when the percentage of kids living in poverty was 16%, "a 20-year low" (Time).

In the world...

 * Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day (Global Issues).


 * At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day (Global Issues).


 * The poorest 40 percent of the world’s population accounts for 5 percent of global income. The richest 20 percent accounts for three-quarters of world income (Global Issues).


 * According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty (Global Issues).


 * Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names (Global Issues).


 * Infectious diseases continue to blight the lives of the poor across the world. An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, with 3 million deaths in 2004 (Global Issues).


 * There are approximately 2.2 billion children in the world, and 1 billion of them are living in poverty (Global Issues).

Sources:
Global Issues Poverty Stats and Facts [] U.S. Census Bureau [] Poverty Definition from the Bing Dictionary [] Congressional Digest; "Poverty in the United States" [] TIME: In Brief: Jul. 30, 2001 "Comeback Story" []