Over 48 million live in poverty in US

Sixteen percent of American children are among more than 48 million who live in poverty, shows a report by the US Census Bureau.

The new numbers reveal “an even uglier picture” of poverty in some US states, CNN reported on Thursday.

The Census Bureau’s special report, titled the Supplemental Poverty Measure, incorporates items such as tax payments and work expenses in family resource estimates in addition to an individual’s cash income.

“These are bad numbers,” said Robert Doar, a fellow of poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. “We can do better, we’re not doing better and that’s discouraging.”

The report shows that there is a higher poverty level in major metropolitan areas, as much as $30,000 or even higher, as the people have to pay more for food, shelter, and transportation.

Under the supplemental measure, California has a poverty rate of 23.4 percent compared to the official 16 percent last year, which means poverty outweighs any government benefits the poor receive there.

About 11 million people are also being pushed to poverty by medical expenses, according to the Census Bureau.

Doar added that the US government policies do not help people “work more and at higher wages so that they can escape poverty.”

NT/GJH