Poverty USA: The State of Poverty in America

The official poverty rate in the United States rose in 2007 to 12.5 percent, after declining in 2006 for the first time this decade, to 12.3 percent.

The number of people living in poverty, however, rose significantly, to 37.3 million in 2007, up 2.2 million persons from 2006.

Between 2000-2007, the number of poor Americans grew by more than seven million.

The number of people living in extreme poverty, those with incomes below half the poverty line, remained at 15.6 million people for the third consecutive year. That is the highest level on record since data first became available in 1975.

Poverty by Region
Poverty by Age
Poverty by Race
The Working Poor in PovertyUSA

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Sources:

(U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007)