Executive Committee

In 2010, 11.7% of all families were in poverty.  The poverty rates by type of family were

6.2% of married couples were in poverty; this type of family accounted for 73% of all families

In 2010, the breakdown of people in poverty by immigration status was

The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.  If a minimum wage worker is employed full-time (forty hours per week for 52 weeks), thatworker would earn $15,080 annually.

In 2010 (the most recent year for which statistics have been compiled),  46.2 million people in the United States were in poverty and the nation’s official poverty rate was 15.1%. This was the fourth consecutive annual increase and the largest number in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published.

There are two official measures of poverty: poverty guidelines and poverty thresholds.  Both of these measures are intended to identify the level of income necessary to meet basic needs.