Poverty Spreads among the Exceptional Nation

46.5 Million Americans in poverty in 2012

The U.S. poverty figure climbed by 300,000 in 2012 up from 46.2 million in 2011; however, the national poverty rate remained unchanged at 15%.

Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate: 1959 to 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 1960 to 2013 Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

2012 was the 6th consecutive year that the national poverty rate failed to improve.

The 2012 poverty threshold was a total household income below $23,492 for a family of four.

Real Household Income at Selected Percentiles: 1967 to 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 1968 to 2013 Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

Poverty Rates by Race and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to 2012. Source:
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 1960 to 2013
Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates about 16.1 million children and 3.9 million adults aged 65 years and older were living in poverty in 2012.

The 2012 poverty figure is “discouraging,” said John Iceland, a former Census Bureau expert on poverty and a sociologist at Penn State University.

“This lack of progress in poverty indicates that these small improvements in the economy are not yet being equally shared by all,” he told the Associated Press.

Global Disaster Headlines – September 18, 2013

581 People remain unaccounted for in Colorado floods

The number of people unaccounted for in the Colorado floods was revised to 581 Tuesday,  according to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management.

Oil-field flood tally: 1,900 wells shut

A drilling derrick near Greeley stands in the flood waters of the South Platte River. (Photo By Tim Rasmussen/The Denver Post)

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Floods submerge Acapulco, death toll climbs, 40,000 tourists stranded

Mexico’s famous beach resort of Acapulco was in chaos on Tuesday as hotels rationed food for thousands of stranded tourists and floodwaters swallowed homes and cars after some of the most damaging storms in decades killed at least 55 people across the country.

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‘Orange Alert’ as extra-tropical cyclone hits Montevideo, Uruguay

Uruguayan authorities issued an Orange Alert as an extra-tropical cyclone battered the capital Montevideo, forcing the evacuations of hundreds of people along the coastal areas in the South Atlantic Ocean. The cyclone cut power to more than 3,000 homes in the region.

Original Caption: A wave hits the dam on the coastal avenue in front of the Rio de la Plata during the passage of the extra-tropical cyclone that affects the country, in Montevideo, capital of Uruguay, on Sept. 17, 2013. The Uruguayan authorities issued an orange alert for the next hours by the passage of extra-tropical cyclone that has already caused power shortage to more than 3,000 homes, and more than 600 people have been evacuated in various departments of the country. (Xinhua/Nicolas Celaya)

Related Links

• Colorado Disaster Zone Spreads across 17 Counties September 17, 2013

• Twin Storms Leave 42 Dead, 1.2 Million Battered September 17, 2013