: Restoring Shared Prosperity
After years of getting worse, the overall U.S. poverty rate remained stable this year. More workers found full-time employment, yet wages continued to fall or stagnate, and income inequality widened as the gains from economic growth were concentrated at the very top income bracket. The annual 2012 Half in Ten report shows that nation’s investments in tax credits for working families and nutrition assistance kept millions out of poverty, and that more Americans also had health insurance coverage this year due to the early effects of the Affordable Care Act.
In the coming weeks and months, however, Congress will be considering the fate of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and of critical health, nutrition, education, and income supports that provide a pathway to the middle class. With Congress facing these important decisions, Half in Ten’s 2012 report sheds light on how America is faring on key indicators of cutting poverty and expanding opportunity for all. The report also offers recommendations to move the indicators in the right direction and expand the middle class, even as we cut our long-term deficits. Click here to download a summary of the national findings. You can also see state-by-state breakouts here.
