In 2009, 43.6 million Americans, or 14.3% of the population, lived at or below the poverty level. For a family of four, that meant living with an income of $21,954 or less, and though some question the merit of poverty level statistics since they do not include the value of social programs like food stamps, Medicaid or the Earned Income Tax Credit, few would argue that those income levels make for a challenging, day-to-day and check-to-check financial situation. This infographic looks back at poverty levels in the United States over the past 40 years.
