Number of Poor Americans On the Rise, Census Reports

By Deborah L. Cohen

WASHINGTON--The number of poor Americans rose in 1992 for the third-straight year, and children continue to be the poorest group, the Census Bureau reported last week.

Data drawn from the Current Population Survey and the Survey of Income and Program Participation show that the poverty rate of 14.5 percent did not rise significantly between 1991 and 1992. But it is the highest rate recorded since 1983.

The number of poor people counted--36.9 million--is the highest since 1962, although the poverty rate relative to the total population was much higher...