An American who lost his job begs
for his family on a street corner in Miami, Florida. The ranks of
America's poor have climbed to a record high, according to new census
data. (AP)
WASHINGTON: The ranks of America’s poorest poor
have climbed to a record high — 1 in 15 people — spread widely across
metropolitan areas as the housing bust pushed many inner-city poor into
suburbs and other outlying places and shriveled jobs and income.
New census data paint a stark portrait
of the nation’s haves and have-nots at a time when unemployment remains
persistently high. It comes a week before the government plans to
release first-ever economic data that will show more Hispanics, elderly
and working-age poor have fallen into poverty.
In all, the numbers underscore the breadth and scope by which the downturn has reached further into mainstream America.
“There
now really is no unaffected group, except maybe the very top income
earners,” said Robert Moffitt, a professor of economics at Johns Hopkins
University. “Recessions are supposed to be temporary, and when it’s
over, everything returns to where it was before. But the worry now is
that the downturn — which will end eventually — will have long-lasting
effects on families who lose jobs, become worse off and can’t recover.”
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