Copyrighted Image? DMCA | More Americans are living in difficult circumstances than the official data show, according to a new and sobering gauge of poverty.
The new indicator, called the Supplemental Poverty Measure, estimates that 49.1 million were grappling with very difficult economic circumstances in 2010, compared with 46.6 million under the standard poverty definition. The poverty rate under the supplemental measure is 16%, compared with 15.2% under the official measure. The calculations for the official measure are slightly different than in the poverty report released earlier this year because the researchers used slightly different demographics. The supplemental measure was developed in response to critics who said that the traditional measure of poverty is too simplistic. They argue that it doesn't take into account benefits, such as food stamps, or expenses, such as health care costs, that are key... |