By Joseph Weber
About 2.5 million Americans slipped below the poverty line as recession and layoffs hammered the economy last year, driving poverty to its highest level since 1998, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday.
The annual survey showed that more than one in eight U.S. residents – 13.2 percent – are living on less than $10,991 for an individual – slightly more than $200 a week – or $22,025 for a family of four.
The report came as no surprise to those who work daily with the poor and homeless.
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