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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In this Sept. 16, 2011 photo, Kris Fallon holds her 4-month-old daughter Addison, in Palatine, Ill., as her 15-year-old son Gared Fallon looks on. The Fallon family has been living in poverty for nearly two years. (AP Photo/Robert Ray)
In this Sept. 16, 2011 photo, Kris Fallon holds her 4-month-old daughter Addison, in Palatine, Ill., as her 15-year-old son Gared Fallon looks on. The Fallon family has been living in poverty for nearly two years. (AP Photo/Robert Ray)