American Poverty

1
American Poverty
2
Poverty

• The standard of living that is below minimum
  level considered decent and reasonable by society
• Since the 1960s the welfare of Americas poor
  has been a top social issue

3
Overview

• About 9.8 (7.7 million) of nations families
  living in poverty (2006)
• Married couples 4.9
• Female-headed 28.3
• Male-headed 13.2

4
Median Income Levels

• All households 48,201/year (US Census Bureau)
• Married couples with no children have highest
  median incomes
• Female-headed homes have the lowest median incomes

5
Variances

• Race/ethnicity, age, nativity, and regions all
  effect median income
• Highest Asian, 45-54, naturalized citizens, West
  
• Lowest Black, 65 and over, non-citizens, South
• Infoplease.com

6
2007 Poverty Levels
7
Cycle of Poverty

• Poverty tends to be generationalit takes money
  to make money
• Issues in poor neighborhoods
• High dropout rates
• High crime rates
• High divorce rates
• High death rates
• Low life expectancy

8
Consequences

• Low health quality and life expectancy
• About a 1/3 of income goes to food
• Many are un/under insured
• In 2006, 8.7 million children alone were
  uninsured
• Many single-mother homes in poor neighborhoods
  (absent-father, welfare mother)