who lives in poverty?

Recently, Washington, D.C. has experienced a development boom, which attracted new residents and businesses from around the world. Job growth, increased city revenues, and vibrant neighborhoods have transformed the District into a world-class city. However, there are still many residents who are excluded from economic opportunity and prosperity.

The nation’s official poverty rate of 14.3 percent in 2009 was the highest since 1994. During that year there were 43.6 million people living in poverty, an increase of 3.7 million people since 2008. In the 51 years of which poverty measures have been available, this was the largest number of people living in poverty. Moreover, this was a third consecutive annual increase in the number of individuals living in poverty.

To learn more about who lives in poverty, click here.