US working-age poverty highest for 45 years

The number of Americans living in poverty jumped to 14.3% in 2009, with the ranks of working-age poor reaching the highest since at least 1965, according to the US Census Bureau.

About 43.6 million people, or 1 in 7, were in poverty. That is up from 39.8 million, or 13.2%, in 2008.

The number of people lacking health insurance rose from 46.3 million to 50.7 million, due mostly to the loss of employer-provided health insurance during the recession. Congress passed a health overhaul law earlier this year.

The statistics released today cover President Barack Obama’s first year in office, when unemployment climbed to 10% in the months after the financial meltdown.

The median – or midpoint – household income was $49,777 (€38,010).