U.S. Poverty Rate Declines to 20 Year Low
September 28, 2000 - 0:0
WASHINGTON The poverty rate in the United States has declined to its lowest level since 1979 as median household income rose above $40,000 for the first time in history, according to statistics released by the U.S. government Tuesday.
The Census Bureau report found that the U.S. poverty rate dropped to 11.8 percent in 1999 from the previous year's level of 12.7 percent.
The new figures mean the number of Americans in poverty declined from 34.5 million in 1998 to 32.3 million in 1999. The population of the United States is 275.8 million.
The poverty level was set at $17,029 in annual income for a family of four.
Median household incomes rose 2.7 percent, or $1,100, for 1999 and had reached $40,816 a year. It was the highest income level recorded since the Census Bureau began calculating the figure in 1967.
The statistics are culled from monthly surveys of 50,000 households nationwide.
The figures do not include incomes from stock capital gains or from households that earn more than $1 million annually.
Every racial and ethnic group experienced a drop in both the number of poor and the percent of poverty, as did children, the elderly and people aged 25 to 44," said Daniel Weinberg, the chief of the Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economics Division.
Weinberg said the largest drops in the poverty rate were found in urban areas, which have seen a revitalization in recent years.
President Bill Clinton, who has overseen the U.S. economic boom this decade, said the latest figures showed that his administration's policies were working.
"The rising tide of the economy is lifting all boats," he said.
"If we stay on the path that got us here the path of fiscal discipline we can reach even greater heights of prosperity." Income levels remained much lower for African-American households than any other group despite a more than 2 percent gain during the survey period.
Asian-American households recorded the highest median income at $51,205 while non-Hispanic white households earned $44,366.
Hispanic households earned a median of $37,735 dollars, and African-Americans earned $27,910.
The Census Bureau found the poverty rate for the elderly, those over 65, dropped by 9.7 percent in 1999. Poverty rates for children posted a 2 percent improvement.
(DPA)
The Census Bureau report found that the U.S. poverty rate dropped to 11.8 percent in 1999 from the previous year's level of 12.7 percent.
The new figures mean the number of Americans in poverty declined from 34.5 million in 1998 to 32.3 million in 1999. The population of the United States is 275.8 million.
The poverty level was set at $17,029 in annual income for a family of four.
Median household incomes rose 2.7 percent, or $1,100, for 1999 and had reached $40,816 a year. It was the highest income level recorded since the Census Bureau began calculating the figure in 1967.
The statistics are culled from monthly surveys of 50,000 households nationwide.
The figures do not include incomes from stock capital gains or from households that earn more than $1 million annually.
Every racial and ethnic group experienced a drop in both the number of poor and the percent of poverty, as did children, the elderly and people aged 25 to 44," said Daniel Weinberg, the chief of the Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economics Division.
Weinberg said the largest drops in the poverty rate were found in urban areas, which have seen a revitalization in recent years.
President Bill Clinton, who has overseen the U.S. economic boom this decade, said the latest figures showed that his administration's policies were working.
"The rising tide of the economy is lifting all boats," he said.
"If we stay on the path that got us here the path of fiscal discipline we can reach even greater heights of prosperity." Income levels remained much lower for African-American households than any other group despite a more than 2 percent gain during the survey period.
Asian-American households recorded the highest median income at $51,205 while non-Hispanic white households earned $44,366.
Hispanic households earned a median of $37,735 dollars, and African-Americans earned $27,910.
The Census Bureau found the poverty rate for the elderly, those over 65, dropped by 9.7 percent in 1999. Poverty rates for children posted a 2 percent improvement.
(DPA)