EconomyHuman RightsNorth America

’10mn more joined US poor over 4 yrs’

About 10 million more Americans reportedly joined the poor in the country between 2006 and 2010, with the number of the poor set to rise due to slow economic recovery.

The number of the US citizens living in poverty increased to 46.2 million in 2010, up 27 percent from 36.5 million in 2006, the year before which the recession began, showed a study by Indiana University, which was released on Wednesday.

During the period, the US population has also risen by 3.3 percent, reaching about 310 million now.

According to the definition of poverty in the country, people are poor when their annual income falls below USD 22,113 for a family of four.

The study used 2010 US Census Bureau data as well as other figures issued by the government.

Poverty could have increased again last year due to sluggish economic recovery, high jobless figures, and long durations of unemployment, the survey pointed out.

It noted that the official unemployment rate was decreasing since many Americans had simply stopped searching for jobs.

The gloomy data came as protests are raging on across the country against ‘corporate greed’ and high-level corruption.

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