Poverty in America

New Census Bureau data shows nearly 16 percent of Americans live below the poverty line— a record 49.1 million people. Though the labor market has struggled to gain traction in recent months, the ranks of America's poor continue to climb to levels unseen in nearly half a century, erasing gains from the war on poverty in the 1960s.

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READING, PA - OCTOBER 20: A man clears debris from a demolished home on October 20, 2011 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading, a city that once boasted numerous industries and the nation's largest railroad company, has recently been named America's poorest city with residents over 65,000. According to new census data, 41.3 percent of people live below the poverty line in Reading. Reading has about 90,000 residents, many of whom are recent Hispanic ... more
READING, PA - OCTOBER 20: A man clears debris from a demolished home on October 20, 2011 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading, a city that once boasted numerous industries and the nation's largest railroad company, has recently been named America's poorest city with residents over 65,000. According to new census data, 41.3 percent of people live below the poverty line in Reading. Reading has about 90,000 residents, many of whom are recent Hispanic arrivals who have moved from larger eastern cities over the past decade. While a manufacturing base offering well paying jobs still exists in Reading, many companies like Hershey, Stanley Tool and Dana Systems have either moved elsewhere in the United States or to Mexico in search of cheaper labor. The number of people living in poverty in America, 46.2 million, is now at its highest level for the 52 years the Census Bureau has been keeping records. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) less