Obama: Census data show how bad 2009 was

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Poverty data released by the U.S. Census Bureau Thursday show "just how tough 2009" was for Americans, President Barack Obama said.

"Today, the Census Bureau released data that illustrates just how tough 2009 was," Obama said of the 2009 poverty rate of 14.3 percent. "(Along) with rising unemployment, incomes failed to rise for the typical household, the percentage of Americans without health insurance rose to 16.7 percent, and the percentage of Americans living in poverty increased to 14.3 percent."

The 14.3 poverty rate last year was up from 13.2 percent in 2008, the second statistically significant hike in the poverty rate since 2004, the Census Bureau said. There were 43.6 million people in poverty in 2009, up from 39.8 million in 2008, the third straight annual increase.

"But the data released today also remind us that a historic recession does not have to translate into historic increases in family economic insecurity," Obama said in a statement. "Because of the (American Reinvestment and) Recovery Act and many other programs providing tax relief and income support to a majority of working families -- and especially those most in need -- millions of Americans were kept out of poverty last year."

Even before the recession, middle-class incomes were sluggish and the number of people living in poverty was "unacceptably high," Obama said, "and today's numbers make it clear that our work is just beginning."

"Our task now is to continue working together to improve our schools, build the skills of our workers, and invest in our nation's critical infrastructure," he said.