Poverty in America — it’s not what you think.

As our politicians debate the issues, what will they say about Poverty in America? And how do they plan to address the problem?

The Line is an important documentary about poverty in America. It cover the stories of people across the country living at or below the poverty line. They have goals. They have children. They work hard. They are people like you and me. Across America, millions are struggling every day to make it above The Line.

Poverty is a drag on the economy. It also affects the cost of healthcare, as I’ve written before in this blog.

• America’s Obesity Epidemic – a BIG Problem
• Sleep Apnea and Poverty: How Socioeconomics Impacts Diagnosis & Treatment
• States Slash Home Health Care & Services for the Neediest

Statistics about Poverty in America

People often talk about the widening income & wealth gap, but for people below the poverty line, there’s an Opportunity gap as portrayed in the video. Here are some of the statistics I gathered from the video and from our description of the Healthcare Problem & Market Opportunity.

• The U.S. Census bureau defines the poverty line as $23,000 for a family of four.
• 46 million Americans live in poverty, which is over 16% of the 280M total population.
• That’s the third highest rate in the developed world, behind only Turkey & Mexico.
• 25% of our children live in poverty – shameful for the richest nation in the world.
• Over 7 million adults work two or more jobs just to make ends meet.
• 1 in 3 workers have low-wage jobs that cannot keep a family of four above the line.
• The working poor are twice as likely to give up sleep in order to work.
• 40% of seniors are low-income (below 150% of poverty level) and need public assistance.
• There’s a direct relationship between poverty and obesity, as described in America’s Obesity Epidemic.
  • Disadvantaged communities are at higher risk for many preventable health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis B and C, and infant mortality.
  • That’s partially due to the lack of fresh and nutritious food at affordable prices and the lack of sidewalks and parks that encourage exercise.
  • Pressures from Job, Money, Divorce and Violence cause a vicious cycle of Stress = Obesity = Stress … (Exercise helps relieve that stress.)
  • Public health officials can accurately predict obesity rates by zip code and have noticed average lifespan differences of over 20 years between poor neighborhoods on one side of town and affluent ones on the other.
• About Poor Women (living below the poverty line)
  • Over 24M Women were poor in 2009 (US Census)
  • Single Mothers are TWICE as likely to be poor as single Fathers (AmericanProgress.org)
  • Women make on average $0.77 for every dollar a man makes (US Census)
  • 27.5% of Black women were poor in 2009, versus 27.4% of Hispanic and 13.5% of White women (US Census)
  • Women are more likely to be poor than men across all racial & ethnic groups (AmericanProgress.org)
  • Elderly Women are more likely to be poor than elderly men. In 2008, 13% of women over 75 were poor, compared to 6% of men over 75. (AmericanProgress.org)
  • In 2008, 54% of poor women were SINGLE without dependent children (AmericanProgress.org)
  • Poor Women are more likely to be diagnosed with Depresion and other mental health disorders (American Psychological Association)
  • 54% of women ages 18-34 have struggled to afford Birth Control at some point (The Daily Kos)
  • Poor women are more likely to experience postpartum depression and to deliver premature babies (American Psychological Association)