The Working Poor: Facts and Figures

The United States

The United States produces more per
capita than any other industrialized
country, and in recent years several
governments at various levels have
spent around $350 billion per year on
programs serving low-income
families. Despite this, measured
poverty is more prevalent in the
United States than in most of the rest
of the industrialized world.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

The Official Poverty line as of 2010 was

$10,830 for a single worker, or $22,050 for
a family of four.

There were over 4.8 million full time

workers living under the poverty line in
2014

The working poor made up 14% of

American citizens

Over 1 million of these workers have

received at least a college level education

Over 21 million people live in families that

Factors
Age
Children comprise the greatest numbers of people in poverty
Race & Origin
The largest number of people in poverty are white, however, people of color have the
highest percentages of their population in poverty
Employment Status
The total number of people in poverty who work full or part time is higher than those
who do not work at all.
Educational Attainment
The more advanced one's education, the less likely they will experience poverty.

According to the United States Census

Bureau:

46.5 million people (15.1%) in the

United States are living below the
poverty line, 26.2 million of these are
children.

Average household incomes have

declined 2.2% since 2000.
There are currently 10,424,540
vacant housing units around the
nation, more than enough to house
the estimated 636,000 homeless
Americans on any given night.

According to the United States Department

of Agriculture:
9 million Americans suffer from
hunger.
33.6 million Americans are food
insecure or at risk of hunger.
6.2 million households with children
in the United States are food
insecure.
Of those 6.2 million, 97% are
employed.