Robert Rector, Rachel Sheffield
Here are 15 facts about poverty in America that may surprise you. (All statistics are taken from U.S. government surveys.)
Poor households routinely report spending $2.40 for every $1 of income the Census says they have.
The average poor American lives in a house or apartment that is in good repair and has more living space than the average nonpoor person in France, Germany, or England.
Eighty-five percent of poor households have air conditioning.
Nearly three-fourths of poor households have a car or truck, and 31 percent have two or more cars or trucks.
Nearly two-thirds of poor households have cable or satellite TV.
Half have a personal computer; 43 percent have internet access.
Two-thirds have at least one DVD player
More than half of poor families with children have a video game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation.
One-third have a wide-screen plasma or LCD TV.
(The above data on electronic appliances owned by poor households come from a 2009 government survey so the ownership rates among the poor today are most likely higher.)