Nation's poor at 49.7M, higher than official rate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government says there are about 3 million more poor people in the United States than its official count shows.

The Census Bureau's official rate that came out in September showed that a record 46.5 million people were in poverty last year.

But the bureau also has an alternative measure of poverty that factors in everyday costs, such as out-of-pocket medical expenses, that haven't been calculated as part of the official rate.

The alternative measure is intended to provide a more complete picture of poverty. It shows that 49.7 million people were in poverty last year.

Under the alternative measure, California had the highest share of poor people, followed by the District of Columbia and Nevada.

In the official tally, it's Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-11-06-Census-Poverty/id-002866e0d5694246861700bd39e87f21
Similar Articles: Daylight Savings Time 2013   aapl   Richard Sherman   Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them   green bay packers