2010 Poverty Rate Highest In Years

The poverty rate in 2010 was the highest since 1993, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

15.1 percent of Americans were found to be in poverty last year, a .8 percent increase from 2009. The percentage reflects 46.2 million Americans, the largest segment of the population to qualify as impoverished in the 52 years that the Census Bureau has been charting the rate.

The percentage of families in poverty also rose, going from 11.1 percent and 8 million people in 2009 to 11.7 percent and 9.2 million just one year later.

Median household income was shown to have declined by 2.3 percent from the previous year.

The data was charted in the first full calendar year following the December 2007-June 2009 recession.