WASHINGTON - Poverty increased for a second straight year in 2002 with 1.7 million more people dropping below the poverty line, the Census Bureau (news - web sites) said Friday. Incomes were down, too, fresh evidence of the struggling economy's effect on Americans' pocketbooks.
The poverty rate was 12.1 percent last year, up from 11.7 percent in 2001. That meant nearly 34.6 million people were living in poverty.
Median household income declined 1.1 percent between 2001 and 2002 to $42,409, after accounting for inflation. That means half of all households earned more than that amount, and half earned less.
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