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Nearly 40 million Americans lived below poverty line last year, up by 1.3 million in a a year
by Open-Publishing - Saturday 28 August 2004More people poor, uninsured
Nearly 40 million Americans lived below poverty line last year, up by 1.3 million in a a year, numbers show
BY LAUREN TERRAZZANO
The ranks of poor Americans increased by 1.3 million last year nationwide, while the numbers of those lacking health insurance climbed even more, according to new figures released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Real median household income remained unchanged between 2002 and 2003, at $43,318, but the number of people in poverty rose to 35.9 million, with significant increases among families with children. There were 12.3 million families with related children under the age of 18 living in poverty in 2003, an increase of 694,000, or nearly 6 percent, from 2002.
In New York State, the number of poor families with related children under the age of 18 rose by 1.6 percent, from 381,521 in 2002 to 387,512 last year.
In New York City, the poverty rate last year was 28.7 percent in the Bronx; 20.4 percent in Brooklyn; 19.6 percent in Manhattan; 13.4 percent in Queens and 9.3 percent on Staten Island. Staten Island and the Bronx each showed declines of about a percentage point from 2002 while Queens had a 1.2 percent uptick and Manhattan and Brooklyn were unchanged.
"America’s children remain at the bottom of the national agenda," Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, said in a statement.
"There’s been an increase in the needs and numbers of people seeking assistance," said Jan Jamroz, administrator for parish social ministries at Catholic Charities on Long Island.
"Over the last year, we’ve seen much more complicated cases, many more layers of obstacles to their being able to survive on Long Island: underemployment, lack of health insurance and lack of transportation."
The number of Americans without health insurance also grew by 1.4 million, to 45 million, according to the report. In helping to explain the increase, health care advocates said that while people are working, many employers cannot provide affordable health care coverage for their employees, many of whom are in low-wage jobs.
"The increase in the number of people without health coverage is the direct result of a stagnant economy, double-digit health care cost increases, and employers passing on more and more of those costs to their workers," said Kathleen Stoll, director of Families USA, a national advocacy group.
The data was released a month earlier than usual - three months before a presidential election in which the nations’ economic well-being, particularly among working and middle-class families, has been a key issue.
Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, said yesterday that "under George Bush’s watch, America’s families are falling behind."
Bush, campaigning in New Mexico, said that while "we have more to do to make this economy stronger," recent economic indicators show a recovery. "Because we acted, our economy since last summer has grown at a rate as fast as any in nearly 20 years," he said.
The Census Bureau’s definition of poverty varies by the size of a household. A family of four living in poverty has a typical annual income of $18,810, while a two-person family makes a little over $12,000.
The poverty rate also varies widely by region. While 12.5 percent of Americans lived in poverty last year, up from 12.1 percent in 2002, the rate was 38 percent in Hidalgo County, Texas but only 3.1 percent in Anne Arundel County, Md.
Rising poverty
The number of Americans living in poverty as well as those without health insurance rose last year according to the Census Bureau.
Below poverty level
35.9 million
Uninsured
45.0 million
SOURCE: CENSUS BUREAU