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"Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue;
it is hard for an empty bag to stand upright."
-Benjamin Franklin
Although the United States is the wealthiest country in the
world, a significant portion of its population lives in poverty, as defined by
the poverty line. Although the magnitude and conditions of
poverty in the United States do not compare to those of some other regions in
the world, there is the uncertainty, danger, and unfulfilled hope for United
States citizens living in poverty.
Measuring Poverty in the United States
The United States defines poverty in absolute terms. This
is the threshold below which families or individuals are considered to be
lacking the resources to meet the basic needs for healthy living: insufficient
income to provide the food, shelter and clothing needed to preserve health. The
European Union, on the other hand, measures poverty in relative terms.
This is defined as having significantly compromised access to income and
wealth than other members of society: an income below 60% of the national median
equalized disposable income after social transfers for a comparable household
(1).
If poverty in the United States were to be defined in relative terms as
determined by the European Union, the level would be much higher.
Poverty in the United States is measured in two ways. The first,
defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, measures the poverty thresholds.
Poverty thresholds classify households by type of residence, race, and other
social, economic, and demographic characteristics. This data generally used for
statistical purposes in order to to estimate the number of people in poverty
nationwide. The second measure is the poverty guideline. Used by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, it determines whether a person or
family is eligible for assistance through various federal programs.
In 1965, all departments of the Executive Branch of the US
government adopted the "Orshansky Poverty Thresholds" to determine poverty
levels for statistical use. This method, developed by Mollie Orshansky, an
economist working for the Social Security Administration, defines an absolute
measure, adopted to objectively evaluate levels of poverty in the United
States. The measure uses a range of income thresholds, adjusted for factors such
as family size, gender of the family head, number of children under 18 years
old, and farm or non-farm residence. Many scholars and policymakers argue that
the methods used to determine "Orshansky Poverty Thresholds" are outdated and
misrepresent the levels of poverty in the United States as lower than they
actually are.
Learn more about the
development of the "Orshansky Poverty
Thresholds."
Learn about Poverty Measurement Studies and Alternative Methods by the U.S.
Census Bureau.
"The Other America"
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"Unfortunately, many Americans live on the outskirts of hope -- some
because of their poverty, and some because of their color, and all too many
because of both. Our task is to help replace their despair with opportunity(3)."
- President
Lyndon B. Johnson
1962, Michael Harrington published The Other America, a
groundbreaking study of poverty in the United States. Read by Presidents
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Harrington's book brought, for the first
time, the reality of millions of Americans to the public eye. It was a call for
action and was one of the driving forces behind the American response to
poverty, a series of policies which became known as the "War on Poverty." Since
Harrington's book, many authors, politicians, and speechwriters have continued
to use the expression, "The Other America" in order to describe the tragedy of
so many living in poverty despite the enormous wealth and potential surrounding
them.
The term "War on Poverty" was first used by President Lyndon B.
Johnson in his 1964 State of the Union address in order to set in motion a
series of initiatives designed to decrease the levels of poverty in the United
States. Such initiatives included the creation of the Office of Economic
Opportunity (now within the Department of Health and Human Services), Head
Start, Medicare and Medicaid, food stamp programs, and work study programs.
Click
here to listen to National Public Radio's (NPR) Madeleine Brand discuss the
40th Anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty" with historian
Robert Dallek.
Click
here to listen to NPR's discuss with Johnson administration officials who
served on the front lines of the "War on Poverty" and its legacy today.
In the last four decades, some of the objectives of the
"War on Poverty" have been met. Social Security and Medicare have
significantly reduced poverty amongst the elderly, and food stamps have made
severe hunger in the United States mostly a thing of the past. In 1959, the
first year poverty statistics were collected, 55% of African Americans were
below the poverty line. By 1966, that had fallen to 41.8% and in 2005, it was
24.7%. Today, the bipartisan supported Earned Income Tax Credit supplements the
inadequate wages of the working poor and helps lift millions into the lower
middle class. When President Johnson announced the "War on Poverty," over 20%
of Americans lived in poverty, while in the last decade the rate of Americans
living in poverty remained between 10-13%.
Despite the some success in the effort against poverty,
it continues to remain an important and difficult issue for the United States to
address. In recent years, poverty has generally increased, despite signs of
economic recovery. Most recent, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina brought the
tragedy of poverty to the national stage, as millions of Americans watched in
horror as the poorest and least able of citizens struggled to survive in what
appeared to be unimaginable conditions. For many Americans, the event brought
to attention the scope and breadth of poverty, along with its many contributing
factors. This sentiment was articulated by Senator Barack Obama when he said,
"I hope we realize that the people of New Orleans weren't just abandoned during
the hurricane; they were abandoned long ago—to murder and mayhem in the streets,
to substandard schools, to dilapidated housing, to inadequate health care, to a
pervasive sense of hopelessness(2)."
Read the report,
"Child Poverty in States Hit by Hurricane Katrina," by
Columbia University's National Center for Children in Poverty.
Watch a video from NBC News, 'Katrina
exposes New Orleans' deep poverty
The State of Poverty in the United States
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| In parts of Appalachia, speciffically the central region, many low-income families continue their struggle with make-do shelter. Photo by Kim MacDonald(8) |
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005, nearly 12.6% of
the United States' population, or thirty-seven million people live in poverty.
Minorities face higher levels of poverty, with 24.9% of African-Americans living
in poverty and 21.8% of Hispanics. Furthermore, poverty rates for children
under the age of eighteen remained higher than those between the age of eighteen
and sixty four, at 17.6%.
Read the
full report by the U.S. Census Bureau
Click here for Urban and Rural Poverty fact sheet from the University of
Michigan. Includes numerous statistics and links for urban and rural poverty.
Along with higher rates of poverty amongst minorities, there are
certain demographics and areas within the U.S. that contain significant
populations of people living in poverty. These include:
Click the above links for more information about each topic.
Place the mouse arrow over the map to see individual
state poverty statistics(4).
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Poverty Stats
Total in Poverty:
Percent of Total Population:
(7)
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Top Ten Lists (5):
Sources Cited
(1) EU Commission; http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/news/2001/oct/i01_1395_en.html
(2) Newsweek
(3) Washington Post;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR2005091800988.html
(4) Map from Google Images
(5) USCCB;http://www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/povertyusa/povfact3.shtml
(6) Picture from the LBJ Presidential Library
(7) State poverty estimates from U.S. Census Bureau
(8) Picture from Habitat for Humanity
This page has been created by Senior Honors Institute Fellow Dylan Borchers.
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