- Poverty is up, but how much? Census tells two stories, By Mark Trumbull, October 20, 2009, Christian Science Monitor: “The way you measure poverty makes a big difference in the results you get. The Census Bureau reported Tuesday that 15.8 percent of Americans lived in poverty last year, using an alternative gauge that differs sharply from the 13.2 percent official poverty rate the agency released last month. The difference is even starker for some specific groups within America. For example, Americans over age 65 have a poverty rate that’s twice as high – 18.7 percent – using the alternative measure. In all, 47.4 million Americans lived in poverty last year, or 7 million more than indicated in official poverty statistics last month…”
- Is poverty at 40 million – or 47 million?, October 20, 2009, msnbc.com: “How should poverty in America be counted? The Census Bureau uses a calculation that put the number at 39.8 million last year. But a revised formula that lawmakers are considering adds more than 7 million Americans to that number. If the revised formula is adopted, a more refined picture of American poverty could emerge that would capture the everyday costs of necessities besides food. A change also could upend long-standing notions of those in greatest need and lead to shifts in how billions of federal dollars for the poor are distributed for health, housing, nutrition and child care…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty