Poverty Rate Remains Steady, Number of Uninsured Decreases Slightly According to August Census Bureau Report

An August Census Bureau Report indicates that poverty rates in the United States have remained steady from 2006 to 2007, but there has been a slight decrease in the number of people without health insurance:

Data presented in this report indicate the following:

• Real median household income increased between 2006 and 2007 — the third annual increase.
• The poverty rate was not statistically different between 2006 and 2007
• Both the number and the percentage of people without health insurance decreased between 2006 and 2007.

These results were not uniform across groups. For example, between 2006 and 2007, real median household income rose for non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks but remained statistically unchanged for Asians and Hispanics; the poverty rate increased for children under 18 years old but remained statistically unchanged for people 18 to 64 years old and people 65 and over; and the percentage of people without health insurance decreased for the native-born population, while the foreign-born population remained statistically unchanged. These results are discussed in more detail in the three main sections of this report—income, poverty, and health insurance coverage. Each section presents estimates by characteristics such as race, Hispanic origin, nativity, and region. Other topics include earnings of year-round, full-time workers; families in poverty; and health insurance coverage of children. This report concludes with a section discussing health insurance coverage by state using 2- and 3-year averages.

Reuters reported on the census bureau report this morning.

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