U.S. Census Bureau: Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010

The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that in 2010, median household income declined, the poverty rate increased, and the percentage without health insurance coverage was not statistically different from the previous year.

Real median household income in the United States in 2010 was $49,445, a 2.3 percent decline from the 2009 median.

The nation’s official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent, up from 14.3 percent in 2009 – the third consecutive annual increase in the poverty rate. There were 46.2 million people in poverty in 2010, up from 43.6 million in 2009 – the fourth consecutive annual increase and the largest number in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published.

These findings are contained in the report, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010. This information covers the first full calendar year after the December 2007-June 2009 recession.

Media reports:

Boston Globe: Nearly 1 in 6 Americans in poverty, Census says (13 SEP 11)

 

Brookings Institution: Poverty and Income in 2010: A Look at the New Census Data and What the Numbers Mean