Children First for Oregon

National Child Poverty Rate Hits Record High

National Child Poverty Rate Hits Record High
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
KBND

BEND, Ore.—46 million people in America are living in poverty; that’s one in 6.

These findings from the last census mark a 27 year high. 15% of Americans are living below the poverty line.

Reagan Gray with Children First for Oregon, a non-partisan child advocacy group, says Oregon is especially hard hit. “And a report came out a month ago that found Oregon has the highest rate of childhood hunger in the nation and that’s on top of this report about a record high national level of poverty. We need to be thinking about what can we do to mitigate the effects of poverty. How can we keep families whole.” The National Child Poverty Rate has hit a record high of 22%, a level not seen since 1994.

The government defines the poverty line as income of $22,000 a year for a family of four and $11,000 for an individual.

Read the original article here.