According to statistics released for 2004 by the US Census Bureau, the percentage of people living in poverty in Michigan has increased while income levels have fallen. The percentage of Michigan citizens living in poverty increased by 0.8% from 2003 levels for a total of 12.1% of residents living in poverty. Michigan’s average median income fell by $1,270 or 2.8% in 2004 from its 2003 average. The Midwest was the only region which saw an increase in both the number of people living in poverty and the poverty rate.
The statistics on Michigan reflect broader national trends. While there was no change in average median income for the United States citizens, the number of people in poverty and the poverty rate increased over the past year. The percentage of people in poverty has increased to 12.7% of the US population, a 0.2% increase from last year’s numbers while 37 million people now live in poverty, up 1.1 million from last year’s numbers. Poverty continues to disproportionately affect people of color with 24.7% of African-Americans and 21.9% of Hispanics living in poverty.
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