(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The number of Americans living in communities of extreme poverty has soared by one-third over the past decade.
Defined as individuals living at 50 percent or less of the official poverty level, 6.7 percent of the US population -- or one in 15 people -- are considered to be the poorest of the poor.
The 6.7 percent share is the highest in the 35 years that the Census Bureau has maintained such records, surpassing previous highs in 2009 and 1993 of just over 6 percent.
Neighborhoods in which at least 40 percent are living in poverty have stretched over broader areas and have increased in suburbs twice as fast as in cities.
Forty states across America and the District of Columbia had increases in the poorest poor since 2007, and none saw decreases.
The District of Columbia ranked highest at 10.7 percent, followed by Mississippi and New Mexico. Nevada had the biggest jump, rising from 4.6 percent to 7 percent.
The US recession began in 2007. More than a year after the recession officially ended in 2009, the US unemployment rate remains above 9 percent, and the poverty rate rose to 15.3 percent in 2010 from 14.3 percent in 2009.
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