Posted on September 17, 2012 by GISELLE ROUTHIER Last week, newly-released Census Bureau data showed that the poverty rate in America remained steady at 15 percent. In New York State, the poverty rate also remained unchanged from 2010, although at 16 percent, it is slightly higher than the national average and still well above the 2006-2007 rate of 14 percent. What this means in real terms is that over 3 million people are living below the poverty line in New York, or one in six! The number of children living in poverty in New York declined slightly from 2010, but still remains at a shocking 23 percent. The official poverty line is an income of just $17,916 for a family of 3, or an income of $23,021 for a family of four. Poverty data for New York City has not yet been released.
