| Despite welcome reductions in poverty during the long economic expansion of the 1990s, poverty in the United States rose during the economic downturn that followed. From a low of 11.3 percent in 2000, the poverty rate rose to 12.5 percent in 2003 - 35.9 million poor Americans. Much of the increase in poverty occurred among children, who remain disproportionately poor (17.6 percent were poor in 2003). High poverty rates also continue for Blacks (24.3 percent) and Hispanics (22.5 percent). Further, poverty has been deepening. In 2003, more than four in ten poor Americans lived below half the federal poverty line (below $7,340 for a family of three) - the highest proportion on record. CHN posts data and analyses that document human need - poverty, income, unemployment, health coverage, housing, social services, taxation, etc. You will find direct links to official government statistics and independent studies. In addition to national data, you will find state information covering a wide array of topics.
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