20 Facts About Hunger In America That Will Blow Your Mind
Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 9:36 pm
1 According to one calculation, the number of Americans on food stamps now exceeds the combined populations of “Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.”
2 In October 2008, 30.8 million Americans were on food stamps. By August 2012 that number had risen to 47.1 million Americans.
3 Right now, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four American children is on food stamps.
4 It is projected that half of all American children will be on food stamps at least once before they turn 18 years of age.
5 According to new numbers that were just released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans living in poverty increased to a new all-time record high of 49.7 million last year.
6 The number of Americans living in poverty has increased by about 6 million over the past four years.
7 Today, about one out of every four workers in the United States brings home wages that are at or below the federal poverty level.
8 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate for children living in the United States is about 22 percent.
9 Overall, approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be either “low income” or impoverished.
10 In the United States today, close to 100 million Americans are considered to be either “poor” or “near poor”.
11 One university study estimates that child poverty costs the U.S. economy 500 billion dollars each year.
12 Households that are led by a single mother have a 31.6 percent poverty rate.
13 In 2010, 42 percent of all single mothers in the United States were on food stamps.
14 According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 36.4 percent of all children in Philadelphia are living in poverty, 40.1 percent of all children in Atlanta are living in poverty, 52.6 percent of all children in Cleveland are living in poverty and 53.6 percent of all children in Detroit are living in poverty.
15 Since 2007, the number of children living in poverty in the state of California has increased by 30 percent.
16 Family homelessness in the Washington D.C. region (one of the wealthiest regions in the entire country) has risen 23 percent since the last recession began.
17 There are 314 counties in the United States where at least 30 percent of the children are facing food insecurity.
18 More than 20 million U.S. children rely on school meal programs to keep from going hungry.
19 Right now, more than 100 million Americans are enrolled in at least one welfare program run by the federal government. And that does not even count Social Security or Medicare.
20 According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, approximately 40 percent of all food in America “is routinely thrown away by consumers at home, discarded or unserved at restaurants or left unharvested on farms.”
2 In October 2008, 30.8 million Americans were on food stamps. By August 2012 that number had risen to 47.1 million Americans.
3 Right now, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four American children is on food stamps.
4 It is projected that half of all American children will be on food stamps at least once before they turn 18 years of age.
5 According to new numbers that were just released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans living in poverty increased to a new all-time record high of 49.7 million last year.
6 The number of Americans living in poverty has increased by about 6 million over the past four years.
7 Today, about one out of every four workers in the United States brings home wages that are at or below the federal poverty level.
8 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate for children living in the United States is about 22 percent.
9 Overall, approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be either “low income” or impoverished.
10 In the United States today, close to 100 million Americans are considered to be either “poor” or “near poor”.
11 One university study estimates that child poverty costs the U.S. economy 500 billion dollars each year.
12 Households that are led by a single mother have a 31.6 percent poverty rate.
13 In 2010, 42 percent of all single mothers in the United States were on food stamps.
14 According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 36.4 percent of all children in Philadelphia are living in poverty, 40.1 percent of all children in Atlanta are living in poverty, 52.6 percent of all children in Cleveland are living in poverty and 53.6 percent of all children in Detroit are living in poverty.
15 Since 2007, the number of children living in poverty in the state of California has increased by 30 percent.
16 Family homelessness in the Washington D.C. region (one of the wealthiest regions in the entire country) has risen 23 percent since the last recession began.
17 There are 314 counties in the United States where at least 30 percent of the children are facing food insecurity.
18 More than 20 million U.S. children rely on school meal programs to keep from going hungry.
19 Right now, more than 100 million Americans are enrolled in at least one welfare program run by the federal government. And that does not even count Social Security or Medicare.
20 According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, approximately 40 percent of all food in America “is routinely thrown away by consumers at home, discarded or unserved at restaurants or left unharvested on farms.”
