[REUTERS]
The percentage of Americans living in poverty remained steady last year at 15 percent after rising for several years in the wake of the recession, while the number of people without health insurance fell slightly to 48 million, U.S. government data released on Tuesday showed.
The Census Bureau in its annual report said about 46.5 million Americans were living in poverty last year, little changed from 46.2 million in 2011. The 2012 median U.S. income was $51,017, also statistically unchanged from the previous year.
The share of Americans without health insurance coverage – another key indicator economic of well-being – was 15.4 percent in 2012 compared with 15.7 percent in 2011.
About 48 million people were uninsured in 2012 compared with 48.6 million in 2011, a change the Census Bureau described as statistically insignificant. The number of people with health insurance increased to 263.2 million in 2012 from 260.2 million in 2011, the bureau said.