15.1% of Americans in poverty

THE US poverty rate rose in 2010 to 15.1%, its highest since 1993, according to census data classifying a record number of people as poor.

The Census Bureau report yesterday showed a sharp rise in the poverty rate from 14.3% in 2009 and a fourth consecutive rise in people below the poverty line to 46.2 million.

The number of people living in poverty was the highest since data collection began in 1959, although the rate was 7.3 percentage points lower than in 1959.

The US definition of poverty is an annual income of $22,314 (€16,312) for a family of four, and $11,139 (€8143) for a single person in 2010.