UNITED STATES

US hunger and poverty facts  US hunger pictures and stories United States links

 American demand for year-round organic fruits and vegetables has incited a farming boom in the arid deserts of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. The explosive growth in commercial cultivation is putting stress on the water table. In some areas, wells have run dry this year, meaning that small subsistence farmers cannot grow crops.  Photo: New York Times

Organic agriculture may be outgrowing its ideals Elisabeth Rosenthal New York Times December 30, 2011

Wealth gap widens between US Congress and constituents  (Congress median wealth $750,000; constituents $20,500)  Peter Whoriskey Washington Post December 26, 2011

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is now helping 46 million people afford an adequate diet Stacey Dean Center on Budget and Policy Priorities December 19, 2011 Also see Taking Stock of the Safety Net, Part 3: Helping Families Afford Decent Housing Taking Stock of the Safety Net, Part 2: Meeting Families’ Basic Needs Through TANF Taking Stock of the Safety Net, Part 1: Overview

To help build homes for the poor, Charlotte North Carolina turned to the federal government, drawing $3.5 million for four projects that promised 202 units. Years later, all the money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME fund has been spent, but 83 houses have not been delivered. One project failed to produce a single home.  

As affordable housing lags, cities try to set right troubled construction deals Debbie Cenziper Washington Post December 12, 2011

Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income Hope Yen Associated Press December 14, 2011  More using food stamps since downturn Ed O'Keefe Washington Post/Seattle Times December 8, 2011 Jobless rate dips to lowest level in more than two years.  However, only 120,000 new jobs were added while 315,000 people stopped looking for work (and thus stop being counted in the unemployment statistics) and unemployment remains above 13,000,000.  Catherine Rampel New York Times December 2, 2011

As the rich-poor gap widens, so does debate about what it means Kathleen Hennessey Los Angles Times November 30, 2011

More than 1 in 5 Americans are economically insecure CNNMoney November 28, 2011  

More than 100 students eat a free dinner daily after classes at Ingels Elementary School in Kansas City, Mo. The Hickman Mills C-1 district feared students would otherwise go to bed hungry. Photo: Steve Hebert/New York Times  

Lines grow long for free school meals, thanks to economy Sam Dillon New York Times November 29, 2011  Rising child poverty rates could be a taste of what's ahead as many benefits for the poor set to expire at the end of the year Ron Scherer  Christian Science Monitor November 29, 2011

Belinda Sheppard and two adult children live above the poverty line, and barely cover their bills.  Photo: Doug Mills/New York Times

Older, suburban and struggling, 'near poor' startle the Census Jason DeParle, Robert Gebeloff and Sabrina Tavernise New York Times November 18, 2011 Middle-class areas shrink as income gap grows Sabrina Tavernise New York Times November 15, 2011  See Hunger Notes US Hunger Factsheet

Poorest poor in US hits new record: 1 in 15 people Hope Yen Associated Press November 2, 2011  

 Newest, more comprensive, poverty measure shows increased poverty, especially among seniors Michael A. Fletcher Washington Post November 7, 2011 See full report  Current portrait of poverty has major errors, experts say: it both sets poverty threshold too low, and ignores important sources of poor people's income Jason DeParle, Robert Gebeloff and Sabrina Tavernise New York Times November 4, 2011

Charmaine Marriott was a long way from Wall Street, but sympathy for the protesters there led her to make her own statement in Albany last week. A new report by the Congressional Budget Office may spur the protests. Photo: Hans Pennink/Associated Press  

Biggest firms paid little tax, study says David Kocieniewski New York Times November 3, 2011 See full report Top 1% of earners doubled share of nation's income, study finds Robert Pear New York Times October 25, 2011 See full report  Police tear gas Occupy Oakland protestors Matthai Kuruvila, Justin Berton and Demian Bulwa San Francisco Chronicle October 26, 2011 Occupy Oakland video YouTube October 26, 2011

US trying to seize more than $70M from Equatorial Guinea dictator’s son over alleged corruption James V Grimaldi Washington Post October 31, 2011  

 US intensifies its proxy fight against al-Shabab in Somalia Craig Whitlock Washington Post November 24, 2011 Encircling Somalia (map) Washington Post November 24, 2011 US drone base in Ethiopia is operational Craig Whitlock Washington Post October 27, 2011

The recession and the foreclosure crisis hit the suburbs of Cleveland, like Warrensville Heights, particularly hard. For the first time, more than half of the metropolitan poor live in suburban areas. Photo:Dustin Franz/New York Times  

Outside Cleveland, snapshots of poverty’s surge in the suburbs Sabrina Tavernise New York Times October 24, 2011   The foreclosure crush: Banks are finding it cheaper to demolish vacant properties than to keep them, and hard-hit communities such as Cleveland think that's just fine Brady Dennis Washington Post October 12, 2011

Americans' access to basic necessities at recession level Elizabeth Mendes Gallup October 13, 2011 More Americans than Chinese can't put food on the table Zachary Roth The Lookout (blog) October 14, 2011

100 US troops to deploy to Uganda to aid fight against Lord’s Resistance Army Scott Wilson and Craig Whitlock Washington Post October 14, 2011

Protestors began occupying a park in Wall Street, New York's financial district, three weeks ago to protest a political and economic system that ignored people's concerns while aiding financial and business interests. Now similar protests are springing up in Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago, and organizers in Washington plan a march at Freedom Plaza on Thursday to “denounce the systems and institutions that support endless war and unrestrained corporate greed.” Photo: Washington Post

Countless grievances, one thread: We're angry Marc Lacey New York Times October 17, 2011  As rage at Wall Street rises, its moneymen shower cash on candidates David Goldstein McClatchy Newspapers October 17, 2011  Wall Steet protest spurs on-line dialog on inequity Jennifer Preston New York Times October 8, 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests spread CNN October 7, 2011 Wall Street protestors hope to plant seeds of a national cause Colum Lynch Washington Post October 4, 2011

Tackling high infant mortality rates among blacks Timothy Williams New York Times October 14, 2011

Americans' access to basic necessities at recession level Elizabeth Mendes Gallup October 13, 2011 More Americans than Chinese can't put food on the table Zachary Roth The Lookout (blog) October 14, 2011

Demolition: Four years into Cleveland's housing crisis, it has often become cheaper for banks to give away a home and pay to demolish it than continue to hold on. These are properties that are abandoned or otherwise at risk of languishing indefinitely and further dragging down already depressed neighborhoods, and thus demolition has the support of the Cleveland government. Cities across the country are watching how this initiative plays out.  

The foreclosure crush: Banks are finding it cheaper to demolish vacant properties than to keep them, and hard-hit communities such as Cleveland think that's just fine Brady Dennis Washington Post October 12, 2011

Congress passes trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama  Zachary A. Goldfarm and Lori Montgomery Washington Post October 12, 2011 See Hunger Notes special report Trade and Hunger

Report: 1 in 4 millionaires pays lower tax rate than many middle-class families Lori Mongomery Washington Post October 12, 2011

President's jobs bill turned back in Senate Robert Pear New York Times October 11, 2011

Economy adds 103,000 jobs in September; more than 14,000,000 still unemployed; unemployment rate remains at 9.1 percent Politico October 6, 2011 Priest sees inner-city deaths as a sign of worsening poverty Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service October 6, 2011 Mental toll of extended unemployment looms large Michellle Hirsch and Eric Planin Washington Post September 30, 2011  

Foreign aid set to take a hit in US budget crisis Stephen Lee Myers New York Times October 3, 2011

Hispanic kids are the largest group of children living in poverty, replacing white children Carol Morello and Ted Mellnik Washington Post September 28, 2011

Deep recession sharply altered US jobless map Michael Cooper New York Times September 26, 2011  

Number of poor hit record 46 million in 2010; median household incomes fall to 1997 levels Sabrina Tavernise New York Times September 13, 2011

Capital gains tax rates benefiting wealthy feed growing gap between rich and poor Steven Mufson and Jia Lynn Yang Washington Post September 11, 2011  

Many Boomers struggling to eat Stephanie Toone Nashville Tennessean September 13, 2011

In jobs speech, Obama urges passage of $447 billion economic stimulus package Carrie Budof Brown and Jennifer Epstein Politico September 8, 2011 Zero job growth latest bleak sign for US economy— (official) unemployment stays at 9.1 percent Shaila Dewan New York Times September 2, 2011 CBO: Up to 2.9 million people owe their jobs to the Recovery Act, the previous economic stimulus package Michael Leachman Center on Budget and Policy Priorities August 30, 2011

With the supply of low wage agricultural workers reduced because of enforcement of immigration laws, rural Texas congressman introduces bill to increase legal temporary immigration of low wage agricultural workers  Julia Preston New York Times September 8, 2011

Families feel sharp edge of state budget cuts Monica Davey New York Times September 6, 2011

Many in US slip from middle class, study finds Michael A Fletcher Washington Post September 6, 2011

Some companies pay their CEOs more than Uncle Sam, study says. Of last year’s 100 highest-paid corporate executives in the United States, 25 earned more in pay than their company recorded as a tax expense in 2010. Peter Whoriskey Washington Post August 28, 2011

Over the last 15 years, the national TANF caseload has declined by 60 percent, even as poverty and deep poverty have worsened. While the poverty rate among families declined in the early years of welfare reform, when the economy was booming and unemployment was extremely low, it started increasing in 2000 and now exceeds its 1996 level. Chart: Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

Temporary Assistantance to Needy Families at 15:
  How well does it provide income support for poor families?
  How have states spent their TANF dollars?
  What is TANF's record of success?
  Looking ahead
LaDonna Pavetti Center for Budget and Policy Priorities August 28, 2011 Also see the very useful summary Chart Book

Hunger stalks Ohio families; state has 7 of country’s most-troubled areas, study says Catherine Candisky Columbus Dispatch August 12, 2011

Kelly Callahan of Atlanta cuts the day's foraging prize: a Sugar Baby watermelon. She also collected five pounds of tomatoes “I don’t think of it as stealing,” she said. “These things were planted by a person who was going to harvest them. That person no longer has the ability to. It’s not like the bank people who sit in their offices are going to come out here and pick figs.” In Atlanta, one out of fifty homes are in foreclosure and vacant.  Photo: T. Lynne Pixley/New York Times

At vacant homes, foraging for fruit and vegetables Kim Severson New York Times August 14, 2011 Photos: Urban foraging in Atlanta

Secretary of State Clinton says don't cut US farm aid for Africa, as program  faces 33 percent cut  Mary Beth Sheridan Washington Post August 11, 2011 See Hunger Notes special report Development assistance

Doctors in five cities report rise in number of malnourished childen Kay Lazar Boston Globe July 28, 2011

Portraits from a job-starved city: A tour through the stores, factories and offices of Rockford, Illinois Alec Soth and Michael Catan New York Times July 2011 See Hunger Notes Stories of hunger and poverty in the United States

Economic outlook worsens as US adds only 18,000 jobs in June, leaving 14,100,000 still unemployed Neil Irwin Washington Post July 8, 2011

First study of its kind shows benefits of providing medical insurance to poor Gina Kolata New York Times July 7, 2011

Once a month, the New Light Baptist Church food pantry provides food to a very impoverished community in its parking lot. Most of this food is provided by Detroit’s Gleaner’s Food Bank that delivers 75,000 daily meals across the Detroit area. Gleaners provides food to over 400 partners – soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, human services and nonprofit organizations that serve meals or distribute food packages.Once known as the world’s automotive center, Detroit was the home of 1.85 million people in the 1950s. Its population is now 951,000 and there are an estimated 80,000 abandoned buildings within the city.

Detroit food bank 2010 (photo essay) Anthony Suau Facing Change July 2011

Every year when the spring comes, families get in their big pickup trucks in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, or the Salt River Valley in Arizona, and head for Hollister.  Generations of families have made the annual migration to get jobs in the San Benito Foods cannery, or in the local fields on the machines harvesting the tomatoes that get canned there.  This year work is slow. Every Saturday, the distribution point at the migrant labor camp is the first stop for the Hollister food bank truck. Why are those people that pick our crops so poor that they need food assistance? Photo: David Bacon

South of Silicon Valley, hunger haunts California town David Bacon New American Media June 20, 2010  The true cost of tomatoes (opinion) Mark Bittman New York Times June 14, 2011

Cost of wars a rising issue as Obama weighs troop levels—$1.3 trillion in spending on two wars in the past decade has meant a ballooning budget deficit and a soaring national debt at a time when the economy is still struggling to get back on its feet Helene Cooper New York Times June 21, 2011

In 1975, the top 0.1 percent of earners garnered about 2.5 percent of the nation’s income, including capital gains, according to data collected by University of California economist Emmanuel Saez. By 2008, that share had quadrupled and stood at 10.4 percent. Recent research by economists shows that a major factor in this change has been a very large rise in corporate excecutive income.

Rich pull away from the rest of America as executive pay soars Peter Whoriskey Washington Post June 18, 2011

House votes 13 pecent average cut in food assistance to the poor including WIC nutrition program and international food aid Jennifer Steinhauer and Carl Hulse New York Times June 16, 2010

USDA replaces the food pyramid with a food plate to show healthy eating Brian Vastag Washington Post June 2, 2011

Employers add fewest jobs in eight months; US unemployment jumps to 9.1 percent Brady Dennis and Neil Irwin Washington Post June 4, 2011

Center for Science in the Public Interest launches new Food Day, invites participation of all Hunger Notes May 24, 2011

Cuts to WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) proposed by House Appropriations subcommittee would end food assistance for 325,000 to 475,000 low-income women and children Zoë Neuberger and Robert Greenstein Center on Budget and Policy Priorities May 23, 2011 If you wish to contact your Representative on this issue.

Many states cutting Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits harshly despite high unemployment and unprecedented need Liz Schott and LaDonna Pavetti Center on Budget and Policy Priorities May 19, 2011

Senate refuses to end tax breaks for big oil Carl Hulse New York Times May 17, 2011

Middle-class and hungry in post-recession USA Christie Garton USA Today May 9, 2011

Administration planning $1 billion debt relief for Egypt Mary Beth Sheridan Washington Post May 7, 2011  See Hunger Notes special report on development assistance and debt forgiveness

US economy adds 244,000 jobs; unemployment rises to 9% Neil Irwin Washington Post May 6, 2011  

Farm subsidies become target amid spending cuts Jennifer Steinhauer New York Times May 6, 2011  See Hunger Notes special report Trade and Hunger

US aid plan for Pakistan is floundering Jane Perlez New York Times May 1, 2011 See Hunger Notes special report on development assistance and debt forgiveness

Running in the red: How the US government, on the road to surplus, detoured to massive debt Lori Montgomery Washington Post April 30, 2011  

Protesters demonstrate in Atlanta against Georgia's immigration bill. Photo: Associated Press  

States resist program to toughen immigration laws Julia Preston New York Times May 5, 2011 Florida, Georgia and Alabama copy tough Arizona immigration law, undeterred by backlash Scott Wong Politico April 27, 2011 Latinos and Democrats press Obama to curb deportations Julia Preston New York Times April 20, 2011

The nutrition community mourns the death of Michael Latham  United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition April 2011 Michael Latham, nutritionist who advocated breast-feeding, dies at 82 Emma Brown Washington Post April 20, 2011

The tiny towns that line the U.S.-Mexico border in east San Diego County—Campo, Boulevard and Tierra del Sol—mark the road north for hundreds of migrants as they cross the border, and travel on. But for the people who live here, some with roots going back generations, these tiny communities are home to growing hunger and poverty. Photo: David Bacon  

Border communities are ground zero for hunger David Bacon New American Media April 18, 2011  

In southwest Virginia, a chasm between need and assistance: The economic problems of Pulaski, Va. — where one-third of residents live in poverty — haunt Denise Hancock’s office, the New River Community Action office. Here, the spiraling number of clients seeking money for basic necessities meets the shrinking resources of her community service organization. And now, with the group’s funds nearly exhausted, Hancock worries about her job, too.

In southwest Virginia, as more need help, aid organization has less to give Eli Saslow Washington Post April 17, 2011

Obama speech on deficit frames a 2012 choice for the country Dan Baltz Washington Post April 13, 2011  Half of budget cuts would hit health, education and labor programs Philip Rucker Washington Post April 12, 2011 GOP governors' recipe for recovery: more tax cuts for the rich, less health assistance for the poor Noam N. Levey Chicago Tribune April 12, 2011

Orlando can restrict feeding the homeless, rules 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Warren Richey Christian Science Monitor April 12, 2011

"We need to address the deficit, but we should not be starting with these reckless cuts to education, Medicare benefits, and health care for millions of Americans-and a staggering 26 percent cut in poverty focused foreign aid. I believe that we should start with eliminating ineffective programs, cutting billions of dollars in oil subsidies, and ending tax breaks for American companies that ship our jobs overseas. " Rep. DeLauro told CNN. Photo: Hartford Courant

Members of Congress join fast protesting proposed budget cuts Laura Klairmont CNN April 7, 2011 House Republican tax plan would cut Medicare, Medicaid, and taxes, but not military spending Jackie Calmes New York Times April 5, 2011

Colombia agrees to protect unions Howard Schneider and Juan Forero Washington Post April 7, 2011 US-Colombia trade pact faces hurdles--key Democratic legislator says Colombia needs significant improvement in labor rights and worker protection Howard Schneider Washington Post March 30, 2011 See Hunger Notes special report Trade and Hunger

Urban League report finds growing racial disparities Krissah Thompson Washington Post March 31, 2011  CEO pay soars while worker's pay stalls USA Today April 1, 2011

Republican budget cuts would result in the deaths of at least 70,000 children resulting from the sharp reduction in US health and food assistance,abroad, USAID administrator says Josh Rogin Foreign Policy March 31, 2011  

Richard Dudenhoeffer, 61, of Flagler County, Fla., has been hunting for a job for a year but has yet to get a single response. Photo: New York Times

Small group of legislators blocks extension of unemployment benefits in Missouri A. G. Sultzberger March 31, 2011 Florida House approves deep cuts in unemployment benefits Lizette Alvarez New York Times March 31, 2011 Michigan, with unemployment over 10 percent, cuts unemployment benefits by six weeks Michael Cooper New York Times March 28, 2011

Abandoned homes on the northeast side of Detroit tell the story of a city whose residents have fled in record numbers. Photo: Fabrizio Costantini/New York Times 

Detroit: Census numbers confirm unparalleled urban collapse Katharine Q. Seelye New York Times March 22, 2011

GE's strategies let it avoid taxes altogether: Earned: $14 billion (at least $5 billion in the United States), taxes paid: $0 David Kocieniewski New York Times March 24, 2011

An Obama banner in front of thel San Salvador Cathedral, where Archbishop Oscar Romero was assasinated, and where President Obama visited Romero's tomb a few days after the anniversary of his assasination. Photo: Aul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

A grisly past haunts Obama's visit to El Salvador Roberto Lovato Colorlines March 25, 2011 Salvadorans remember Archbishop Romero on the 31st anniversary of his assasination Monica Novoa Colorlines March 24, 2011

Genetically modified crops get boost over organics with recent USDA rulings Lyndsey Layton Washington Post March 23, 2011

Jodi Taylor lived in a trailer before landing a state job in 1996, when her hourly wage jumped to $9. Money is still tight and her youngest son, Joey Ritter, has just enlisted in the Marines. Photo: Andrea Morales/New York Times More Photos

Ohio town sees public job as only route to middle class  Sabrina Tavernise New York Times March 15, 2011  Economic downturn holds fierce grip on border town Jennifer Medina New York Times March 16, 2011 

Farmworkers harvesting lettuce Photo: Annie Tritt/New York Times

Itinerant life weighs on farm workers' children  Patricia Leigh Brown New York Times March 12, 2011

Hidden workforce hinders recovery: Unemployed who aren't job-hunting not counted in monthly statistics—using a broader definition indicates 16 percent of the US workforce is unemployed  Ylan Q. Mui Washington Post March 16, 2011

Utah Republican-majority legislature passes liberal immigration reform bill—would grant legal status to undocumented workers and allow them to live normal lives Lee Hockstader Washington Post March 11, 2011

A girl takes a hallway break in the Wisconsin Capitol, where she and her mother joined thousands protesting a bill to rein in public sector unions. Photo: Tom Lynn/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The United States: Waking up to class politics Ari Paul Al Jazeera March 14, 2011 Wisconsin: Republicans pass public sector union curbs BBC News March 10, 2011 Wisconsin in near-chaos over anti-union bill Dan Hinkel and Nicholas Riccardi Los Angeles Times February 18, 2010

Pentagon unveils its largest-ever budget, $553 billion, as perceived threat list grows Nancy A. Youssef McClatchy Newspapers February 10, 2011 Also see The US military budget: On the wrong side of history (opinion) Miriam Pemberton Other Words February 21, 2011

Obama plans to help states with debt burdens caused by borrowing to pay unemployment benefits Michael Cooper and Sheryl Gay Stolberg New York Times February 8, 2011  

With Detroit in dire straits, mayor invites big thinking Krissah Thompson Washington Post February 8, 2011

Illegal immigration in US stabilizes Nicholas Riccardi Los Angeles Times February 2, 2011

  “I was worried and scared and very worried,” recalls Leah Kehler, a fourth grader who told a teacher her second-worst fear. Photo: Andrew Spear/New York Times

"Teacher, my dad lost his job. Do we have to move?" Michael Winerip New York Times January 30, 2011

From left: Shannon Palmer, Japanese/Irish; Vasco Mateus, Portuguese/African-American/Haitian; Laura Wood, black/white. Photo: Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Census data presents rise in multiracial population of youths Susan Saulny New York Times March 24, 2010   Black? White? Asian? More young Americans choose all of the above  Susan Saulny New York Times January 29, 2011

Foreclosed homeowners go to court on their own David Streitfeld New York Times February 2, 2011 Recession takes severe toll on low-income renters Tony Pugh McClatchy Newspapers February 1, 2011 Joblessness drove foreclosures in 2010 Julie Schmit USA TODAY January 27, 2011  

New dietary guidelines: eat better, eat less, and lose the salt to fight the obesity epidemic and a host of ailments caused by poor diets Rob Stein Washington Post January 31, 2011

The heart of football beats in Aliquippa: Over five decades of economic decline and racial conflict, a Western Pennsylvania mill town has found unity and hope on the football field S.L. Price Sports Illustrated January 31, 2011

The 2008 financial crisis was an avoidable disaster caused by corporate mismanagement, heedless risk-taking by Wall Street, and widespread failures in government regulation, crisis panel says Sewell Chan New York Times January 25, 2011

Arizona law attempts to reduce Medicaid for poor people in the state N.C. Aizenman Washington Post January 24, 2011

In memory of Martin Luther King
Why (The King of Love is Dead)
Nina Simone
(song in tribute, written immediately after MLK's assassination on April 4, 1968)

Census releases alternative formulas for gaging poverty Carol Morello Washington Post January 5, 2011

Holly Maggi, left, and her fiance, James Wilson, right, and their 21-month-old daughter, Madison, have moved in with Ms. Maggi’s parents, Jim and Kathy Maggi. Photo Maggie Steber/New York Times

Recession creates spike in multi-family households Michael Luo New York Times December 28, 2010

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