According to a new study released by the US Census Bureau on Tuesday, the New York state poverty rate rose 16 percent in 2010, with an approximate 3.1 million in the state living below the poverty line in 2010. Across the country, 46.2 million Americans, up from 43.6 from in 2009, were living in poverty.
In order for a family to classify as living in poverty, a family of three must make than less than $18,310.
While numbers specifically regarding New York City have yet to be released, Joel Berg, the executive director for the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, released this statement:
“People have trouble conceptualizing number as large as three million, but this new data means, that if New York State residents in poverty all held hands, they could create a line that would run from Times Square to the Golden Gate Bridge. For those of us who see surging lines at food pantries and soup kitchens citywide, these new numbers are no surprise. But we do hope these new numbers provide yet another wake-up call for elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels to understand the additional urgency for them to enact economic and social policies needed to create living wage jobs and reverse these horrendous trends. They can start at the federal level by enacting President Obama’s jobs plan. It is also imperative that both state and local elected officials enact similar job-creation plans.”
Click here for more details on the nationwide, record breaking results.