Poverty

Poverty in the United States remains a widespread and persistent problem. In 1975 the Census Bureau reported that nearly 26 million persons had incomes, or were living in households having incomes, that fell below the so-called poverty threshold ($5,500 for a family of four that year). Well over 8 million of these persons were children under 14; more than 3 million were men and women 65 and over. One half of all the heads of families in poverty reported that they had been employed the previou...