Top 10 States with the Most Poverty

Is your state on this list?

Poverty is an economic disease that affects millions of people every day. In 2014, approximately 45 million Americans lived below the poverty line. It has no preference for race, culture, religion, age, or intellect.

A person can be born into poverty because his or her parents are impoverished or because of circumstances that place them into this often demeaning classification. Although in 2013 the poverty rate decreased to 14.5%, the actual number of people in poverty remains the same due to population growth without job market growth.

Current median income is about $5,000 lower than it was in 2007 at $51,939 in 2013 which puts the nation’s poverty threshold for a family of four at $23,624. Knowing this, the top 10 states with the most poverty according to the U.S. Census Bureau, may surprise and even sadden you.