Poverty Rate Dips For First Time Since 2006

 According to the Census Bureau, poverty in the United States is the lowest it has been since 2006,

Due to an increase in people working full time jobs, the rate of those living under the poverty line has dropped from approximately 15 percent to 14.5 percent.        

The child poverty rate has dipped to just below 20 percent for the first time since 2000.

However, millions of people in America still struggle to get by.  The median income continues to hover around $51,000, and due to population growth, the number of those in society living in poverty has not decreased.

Many, like sophomore Grace Carballo, are skeptical of how much has really improved. “While the poverty rate is dropping there are still huge disparities of wealth in this country.  I am helping teach English at a day laborer center…and I noticed a lot of posters campaigning for raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour.  It would be hard to make a decent living on anything less, but I also have heard that then perhaps employers would hire less workers to cut costs so it is a double edged sword.”

While this statistical improvement does offer hope for those living with deficient funds, poverty among college students is on the rise. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 29 percent of students nationwide have household incomes below $20,000.