Census: US In Economic Slump For Years

Census: US In Economic Slump For Years

It's not news to small-town Milledgeville, Ga. - population 20,000 - that the United States is now in a recession. Almost 1,000 people lost their jobs in the last few months after a major air conditioning plant moved most of its production to Mexico, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Wallace.

"When you lose $15 dollar an hour jobs and then have to find a new job paying $7, 8 or 9, that hurts," says Milledgeville's mayor.

And they've been hurting for years, according to new census data. One-in-three residents, about 7,000 people, has been living in poverty since 2005, according to the latest census figures, compared to one-in-four in 2000.

And all across America, similar figures provide a dismal economic snapshot of recent years - out of 2,000 cities surveyed, 70 percent saw hikes in poverty and 71 percent saw increases in unemployment.

Keep reading here.

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