Census Bureau Releases Poverty Data: Poverty continues to be high, especially among young children, while the wealth gap increases
September 12, 2012
Today the United States Census Bureau released annual data on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage. The data included indicators that children remain particularly vulnerable. One out of four children under the age of five (25.1 percent), live in poverty. Furthermore, 12.3 percent, or 2.45 million children under 5 are living in extreme poverty, at or below 50 percent of the federal poverty level.
“Clearly, young kids are not emerging from this recession unharmed,” said Dr. Mariana Chilton, an associate professor and director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities at Drexel University’s School of Public Health. “Who is emerging unharmed, and potentially benefitting, are those at the top of society’s ladder.”
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