Despite all the talk of economic recovery and job growth, new numbers drive home the fact that hunger and poverty in New Jersey, and across America, remain stubbornly high, and a harsh reality for millions of people.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture just released its annual report on food security, and found that last year people in 17.4 million households didn’t have enough to eat. That means the government’s own numbers show more than 48.1 million Americans, including 15.3 million children, are struggling with hunger. The 2014 figures are little changed from the year before, highlighting just how much still needs to be done.
Meanwhile, the US Census Bureau‘s latest numbers show 46.7 million Americas (14.8 percent) living in poverty. In New Jersey, nearly one million people are living in poverty, an increase of almost 250,000 in the past ten years. According to the Census data, the poverty rate in New Jersey has jumped from 8.7 percent to 11.1 percent.
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