By Associated Press
Washington, DC – According to new poverty statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, Alabama narrowly missed breaking out of the top 10 list of the poorest states in the country last year.
But its climb to Number 10 instead of near the bottom came largely on the misfortunes of other states. Alabama's poverty rate remains at roughly 16 percent, about where it has been for several years, and its median income is the fifth lowest in the nation.
The Census Bureau released the new figures Tuesday as part of the new American Community Survey (ACS), which samples three million households a year in cities and counties with populations of 65,000 or more.
Alabama had the 10th highest poverty rate, putting it ahead of Mississippi, which ranked first, followed by the District of Columbia, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)