Poverty
How it effects the United States
Poverty in the United States
Out of about 316 people in the U.S. there are 46 million living in poverty. So around 17% of the population in America is in poverty. Ohio is 31st in the poverty rankings. 13% to 15% of ohio's population lives under the poverty line.
Poverty line in America
Last year if you made less than 23,283 then you were considered poor. But this line varies between rural and urban America. In major metropolitans the level can be up to 30,000 or even higher depending on location.
Government programs
Government do help many Americans. A report showed that food stamps and tax credits helped keep 13 million Americans out of poverty. Social security also helped to keep about 27 million Americans out of poverty.
What puts people in to poverty
Out of pocket medical bills are a huge issue. They put almost 11 million people in poverty. But the real issue is just poor employment.
How we know the poverty rate
The government figures out the official poverty rate by using poverty thresholds that are issued each year by the census bureau. The thresholds represent the annual amount of cash income minimally to support a family of a certain size. The thresholds are updated annually to account for inflation. A family is considered poor if the annual income is below the poverty threshold. Money income does not include non cash benefits.