Report Shows Louisiana Tops America’s Poverty Rates

Lafayette, Louisiana (KPEL-FM) - A new report has just been released detailing America's poverty rates in each state.

Unfortunately, Louisiana has topped the list having the highest poverty rate in the United States.

Why does Louisiana have the highest poverty rate in America?

The numbers are interesting and might not tell the complete story when you take a look at population size.

Let's look at what this new reports shows...

Poverty Rates In America

According to the latest census information released using data from 2023, 12.5% of the U.S. population lived below the poverty threshold.

That percentage works out to roughly about 40.8 million Americans.

What Is Considered Living In Poverty In America? 

Using the recently released poverty data from the U.S. census, zerohedge.com has compiled the information showing the poverty threshold in America.

One person: ≤$15,480

Two people: ≤$19,680

Three people: ≤$24,230

Four people: ≤$31,200

READ MORE: 10 Louisiana Jobs Predicted to Disappear Because of AI

 Louisiana Poverty Rate

Looking at the new information released from the U.S. Census Bureau, using information from between 2021 to 2023, Louisiana tops the list of states with the highest poverty rates.

Here's how the top 5 shook out -

1. Louisiana - 18.9% Poverty Rate -  853K People in poverty

2. New Mexico - 18.5% Poverty Rate - 388K People in Poverty
3. Mississippi - 17.3% Poverty Rate -  501K People in Poverty
4. Arkansas - 15.8% Poverty Rate -  473K People in Poverty
5. Kentucky - 15.7% Poverty Rate - 699K People in Poverty

READ MORE: Revealed: This is the Average Salary in Louisiana

According to the recent data released, Louisiana is creeping up in nearly 1 million people living in poverty.

Nearly one in five residents are living below the poverty threshold according to this new data.

Although Louisiana leads America in percentage of citizens living in poverty, we don't have the most people living in poverty when you look at population.

Obviously, states with higher populations are going to have larger numbers of people reported as living in poverty than states with smaller populations.

In terms of sheer numbers of people living in poverty, here's what it looks like -

1. California - 11.7% Poverty Rate - 4.5 million People in Poverty

2. Texas - 13.1% Poverty Rate - 3.9 million People in Poverty

Zerohedge.com reports "the U.S. counted 37.6 million residents in poverty during in 2023, almost the size of Canada’s entire population."

Read more at zerohedge.com.