What is your definition of poverty in the United States ?

Question

What percentage of people are poor in the U.S. ?

Answer 1

To me, poverty is no home, no change of clothes, no income and not enough to eat.
I would say those fitting the description probably do not exist in the US.

Answer 2

The following are facts about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, taken from various government reports:

Forty-six percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.
Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.
Seventy-three percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher.

Answer 3

My definition of "poverty" in the U.S.A. is not being able to watch the sun come up because it's blocked by cement skyscrapers; not knowing the joy of seeing your child being born because you're off fighting an immoral war in Iraq so that a handful of people can get rich from OIL and WAR PROFITEERING; being so obsessed with money that you fail to recognize those things in life that have real value; being so cold-hearted that you fail to love someone else unconditionally; having a mansion full of material things and no one to share your life with; believing that money can buy happiness, even if it's in the form of $200-a-night call girls, gaming tables, or alcohol and drugs; hoarding so much for one's self that it's impossible to see a way with which to share your own success.
That's the kind of poverty that makes this nation truly poor.
-RKO- 08/12/07

Answer 4

we dont have near the poverty in our country as in other parts of the world, yes we have people living in the streets and undereducated. government says below 15,000 a year is impoverished....but poverty is really mostly in your mind, it is a mind set, some people dont want to help themselves and some are just down on their luck and those who are down on their luck are the ones we need to help always.. if the Democrats would get out of the poor peoples way we would have less poverty because they have designed social programs just like Chavez and Castro hAVE to keep the low down and undereducated so they can have their votes. Its true whether you want to believe it or not.

Answer 5

This is how the US Government defines it:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/threshld/thresh06.html

I personally think that someone who can not afford Food, Clothing, and a Stable Place to Live is living in poverty.

Those are the things we need to survive. If any of them is in question because of financial reasons, then the person is living in poverty.

Answer 6

Poverty in the U.S. is having your income fall to the level of that of the richest 1/3rd of folks outside the U.S.

Answer 7

Q - "What is your definition of poverty in the United States?"

A -- Being unable to afford to access broadband on one's computer.

Answer 8

It makes me laugh when people think not being able to buy new clothes for school makes them poor but yet they are sitting in their house chatting on yahoo answers on their brand new dell. Poor in any other country is no comparison to the US.

Answer 9

For one person in the household, if you make less than $9,800
for two $13,200
for three $16,600
for four $20,000
for five $23,400
The rates are higher in Alaska and Hawaii.

Answer 10

you kid is still playing with a playstation 2 on an analog cathode ray tv.