NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY UP 50% SINCE 2000

Economics blogger Evan Soltas broke down census figures and found that since 2000, the number of people living in “extreme” poverty — that is, incomes totaling less than half of the federal poverty line — has climbed an astounding 50 percent, accelerating most dramatically after the recession began four years ago. In 2010, 6.7 percent of Americans were living in extreme poverty, up from 5.2 percent in 2007 and just 4.7 percent in 2000. That represents the largest jump by a single income bracket among those hovering near the poverty line.