2009 US poverty figures to be released

2009 poverty figures for the United States will be released by the census bureau this week. The year 2009 was right in the middle of the global recession so there is expected to be a big increase in those living in poverty.

From this Associated Press article that we found at MSNBC, we read what the expected increase will look like and the political ramifications.

The anticipated poverty rate increase - from 13.2 percent to about 15 percent - would be another blow to Democrats struggling to persuade voters to keep them in power.

"The most important anti-poverty effort is growing the economy and making sure there are enough jobs out there," Obama said Friday at a White House news conference.
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Interviews with six demographers who closely track poverty trends found wide consensus that 2009 figures are likely to show a significant rate increase to the range of 14.7 percent to 15 percent.