U.S. Poverty Rate at 27-Year High; Blacks Have 27.4% Poverty Rate

With Black unemployment being at 16.7% percent, the highest among any group in the United States, African Americans don't fair much better amid recently unveiled record poverty rates. While the number of Americans in poverty jumped to 15.1% for 2010, the number of African Americans in poverty jumped to 27.4% from 25.8% in 2009.

The southern United States - where most African Americans are concentrated – accounted for a poverty rate of 16.9% up from 15.7% in 2009.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, overall 2010 U.S. median household income declined to $49,445 down from an income of $50,599 in 2009. While whites currently have a poverty rate of 13% with a median income of $51,846, Blacks have a median income of $32,068, nearly $20,000 less than their white counterparts.

Interestingly enough, Asians saw the deepest dip in median income than any other group by 3.4% with a median income of $64,308 for 2010 down from $66,550 in 2009.  However, they were the only group to show an decrease in the number of those in poverty among their group by .4%.   Note the median income of Asians is double that of African Americans.

While the current national unemployment rate is at a stagnant 9.1%, there is quickly becoming a drastic correlation between the working poor and decreased median income levels in this country. The announcement of this most recent poverty rate represents the third consecutive annual increase in the poverty rate. The number of people in poverty is 46.2 million people, the largest number in 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published.

The number of African Americans in poverty is 10.7 million.