Sept. 14, 2011
New U.S. Census data released yesterday reveals that the poverty rate in Mississippi rose from 15.6 percent to 22.9 percent in 2009, The Mississippi Economy Policy Center reports.
Mississippi was the only state with a poverty rate above 20 percent at the end of the decade. Median incomes also declined from $42,963 to $36,821 per year.
Nationally, U.S. Census data shows that 1 in 6 Americans are in poverty. The overall poverty rate climbed to 15.1 percent, from 14.3 percent the previous year.
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