Number of Americans Living in Poverty Increased in 2002

October 13, 2003 Number of Americans Living in Poverty Increased in 2002 The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.7 million last year, and the median household income declined by 1.1%.  The worsening economic conditions fell heaviest on Midwesterners and non-whites. It was the second straight year of adverse changes in poverty and income, the first two-year downturn since the early 1990s according to the 2002 Current Population Survey released by the Census Bureau on September 26, 2003. The official poverty rate rose to 12.1% in 2002 from 11.7% the year before . . .