WASHINGTON (ABP) — The number of Americans living in poverty rose 3.4 percent last year, to 35.8 million people, while the number without health insurance climbed to 45.0 million, an increase of 1.4 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
It was the third straight annual increase for both categories.
About 12.5 percent of the population lived below the poverty line in 2003, an increase of 1.3 million from the 34.5 million in poverty in 2002. The number of children in poverty rose as well, to 12.9 million or 17.6 percent of those under 18 years old.
The average poverty threshold in 2003, according to the Census Bureau, was $18,810 for a family of four, $14,680 for a family of three, $12,015 for a family of two, and $9,393 for unrelated individuals. Meanwhile, the average household income, when adjusted for inflation, remained unchanged in 2003 at $43,318.
The percentage of Americans without health insurance rose slightly, from 15.2 percent to 15.6 percent, but the increase was smaller than in 2001 or 2002. A census official said the increase paralleled the rise in unemployment.
“Certainly the long-term trend is firms offering less generous [benefit] plans, and as people lose jobs they tend to lose health insurance coverage,” bureau analyst Dan Weinberg told Associated Press.
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