America's poorest poor

The UK's Guardian reports today that 20.5 million people are among America's poorest poor -- those at 50% or less of the official poverty level. That is one in 15 people, a record high.

* The US housing bust pushed many inner-city poor into suburbs and other outlying places and reduced jobs and income.

* "Those living in deep poverty represent nearly half of the 46.2 million people scraping by below the poverty line. In 2010, the poorest poor meant an income of $5,570 or less for an individual and $11,157 for a family of four."

* "Broken down by states, 40 states and the District of Columbia had increases in the poorest poor since 2007, and none saw decreases. The District of Columbia ranked highest at 10.7%, followed by Mississippi and New Mexico. Nevada had the biggest jump, rising from 4.6% to 7%."

* "Extreme poverty today continues to be prevalent in the industrial midwest, including Michigan cities Detroit and Grand Rapids, and Akron, Ohio, because of a renewed decline in manufacturing. But the biggest growth in high-poverty areas is occurring in newer Sun Belt metro areas such as Las Vegas, Riverside, California, and Cape Coral, Florida, after the plummeting housing market wiped out home values and dried up construction jobs."

* "As concentrated poverty spreads to new areas, including suburbs, the residents are now more likely to be white, native-born and high school or college graduates — not the conventional image of high-school dropouts or single mothers in inner-city ghettos."

* "Just over 7% of all African-Americans nationwide now live in traditional ghettos, down from 33% in 1970.

* 2009 census estimates: 27.6% of all Hispanics living in poverty, compared with 23.4% of African Americans.

For the full article, go to:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/03/us-poverty-data-poorest-poor?CMP=twt_gu