Census 2010: U.S. poverty rate jumps

The number of Americans living in poverty jumped to 15.1 percent in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Tuesday.

The rate, which jumped from 14.3 percent in 2009, was the third consecutive annual increase in the poverty rate. Nearly one in six Americans were in poverty in 2010, or about 46.2 million people.

The census also showed that the real median household income in the United States fell 2.3 percent in 2010 to $49,445.

The percentage of Americans without health insurance, 16.3 percent, was not statistically different from the previous year.

The change in real median income was different for different race groups. It declined for white and black households between 2009 and 2010, but changes for Asian and Hispanic-origin households was not statistically different, a press release from the U.S. Census Bureau states.

The increase in the poverty rate coincides with an increase in unemployment in the United States.

"The statistics released Tuesday cover 2010, when U.S. unemployment averaged 9.6 percent, up from 9.3 percent the previous year," states the Associated Press.