49.1 Million Americans Are Living Below The Poverty Line

Earning $45,000 or less annually per household is the U.S. Census Bureau’s threshold for calling someone “low-income,” and according to the bureau’s latest figures, 48 percent of U.S. citizens fall into this category. 146.4 million U.S. citizens are now defined by their government as low-income — with 49.1 million falling below the poverty line of $22,350 — and it’s a pretty troubling thought to think that you have about a one-in-two shot of meeting someone struggling to get by at random on the street. Of course, the Census Bureau’s definitions of “low-income” and “poor” are necessarily arbitrary and only make sense in context. The Atlantic Wire