America’s Poor: Where Poverty Is Rising In New York

Thanks to the recession, 2009 was one of the worst years for poverty in America in more than half a century. The total number of Americans living in poverty hit 43.6 million, the highest level in 51 years and the national poverty rate rose to 14.3 percent from 13.2 percent, according to data released last month by the Census Bureau.

All told, one in seven Americans are living in poverty. To visualize America’s startling rise in poverty, Mint, the personal finance site, put together this interactive chart of regional poverty rates.

Among the hardest-hit states are Louisiana, Mississippi and certain areas of Texas. States with the lowest poverty statistics include Wyoming, Hawaii, Minnesota and several East ‘s the Coast states. For a PDF of the Census Bureau’s most recent report, click here.

What’s New York’s grade: D-

Why: the rate of those who live in poverty in NY has gone up:

2008 – 2,616,642

2009 – 2,691,757

Percentage of people living below poverty level in NY is 13.0% to 15.9%