US Poverty on Track to Rise to Highest Since 1960s
The ranks of America's poor are on track to climb to
levels unseen in nearly half a century. That means gains from the war on
poverty in the 1960s are being erased amid a weak economy and fraying
government safety net.
Census figures for 2011 will be released this fall in the
weeks before the election.
The Associated Press surveyed more than a dozen
economists, think tanks and academics, and found a broad consensus: The
official poverty rate will rise from 15.1 percent in 2010, climbing as high as
15.7 percent.
Poverty is spreading at record levels across many groups,
from underemployed workers and suburban families to the poorest poor. More
discouraged workers are giving up on the job market, and suburbs are seeing
increases in poverty.
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