Center for American Progress Email
The Census Bureau released the 2009 poverty data today, revealing the largest number of people in poverty on record.
Poverty impairs children’s emotional, intellectual, and physical development, and ends up costing our nation billions a year in lost productivity and increased health care costs. But poverty is also a problem we can solve. We must be certain to tackle poverty’s root causes as we rebuild our economy, creating more decent-wage jobs, strengthening work supports, and investing in children early so that everyone can participate in the economy.
As the numbers will show, we cannot afford inaction.
Child poverty in the U.S. is going up
20.7 percent: U.S. overall child poverty rate in 2009.
1.4 million: Number of children who fell into poverty last year.
35.7 percent: Percentage of African-American children living in poverty.
33.1 percent: Percentage of Hispanic children living in poverty.
17.7 percent: Percentage of white children living in poverty.
14 percent: Percentage of Asian children living in poverty.
The Recovery Act worked in keeping millions more from falling into poverty
Comments