A Profile of the Working Poor: 2009

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this profile provides information on the working poor in 2009. Around 14.3 percent of the population, 43.6 million people, in the United States was living at or below the federal poverty level. Around 10.4 million individuals were considered working poor who spent 27 weeks in the labor force in 2009, but still below the poverty level, which was an increase of 1.5 million more than in 2008.