A half-decade of rising poverty

In the last five years the average poverty rate in the United States has risen by two percent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 46.2 million people lived in poverty in 2010 - five million under the age of five. The following map displays the percentage of people living in poverty by county for 2005-2010. Click on a county and use the arrow buttons (or left/right keys on your keyboard) to examine the county's poverty percentage change. Read about counties with highest poverty by clicking the list on the lower left.