The recession's longstanding toll on the incomes of Vermont households is shown clearly in estimates released by the Census Bureau yesterday. The median income of a household in the state dropped to $49,406 in 2010 from $51,618 in 2009. The poverty rate among Vermont households rose to 12.7% up from 11.4% in 2009. Poverty among the state's children rose particularly high--to an alarming 16.7% in 2010 up from 13.3% in 2009.
Across the nation, poverty rose in 49 of the 50 states. In total , 46.2 million Americans lived in poverty in 2010-- the highest number in the 52 years the Census Bureau has been publishing figures on it. Median household incomes across the country fell to levels last seen in 1996.
The Census Bureau has recently released the results of two national surveys pertaining to household income and poverty--the American Community Survey and the Current Population Survey.