Nearly one in six American people live in poverty, according to the US Census Bureau's annual report, says an article on the BBC website on Sept 14, 2011.

The US definition of poverty, says the article, is an annual income of $22,314 (£14,129), or less for a family of four, and $11,139 for a single person.

The number of Americans living in poverty rose to 46.2 million last year, with the poverty rate the highest since 1983, says the report.

The Census Bureau data also shows that poverty among black and Hispanic people was much higher than for the overall US population last year - at 27.4% and 26.6% respectively.

Younger Americans were especially strongly affected. Twenty-two percent of those under 18 were living under the poverty line. The Children's Leadership Council, an advocacy group, was quoted as saying "The rising numbers of children living in poverty is a direct result of the choices made by political leaders who put billionaires before kids. America's children should be our top priority."