they use the 100% level poverty number in the press release which is derived from the table by subtracting from the 125% number the % that is between 100 and 125%
So 2002 = 16.5 less 4.1 = 12.1 poverty rate
So the Press release was "The nation's official poverty rate rose from 11.7 percent in 2001 to 12.1 percent in 2002 and median household money income declined 1.1 percent in real terms from 2001 to $42,409 in 2002, according to reports released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Median earnings increased 1.8 percent for women who worked full-time, year-round and 1.4 percent for similar men, and the child poverty rate remained unchanged in spite of the recession.
AS you can see from the table, JFK's first year 1961 was at 21.9%, LBJ in 1968 got it down to 12.9, Carter 1980 had 13.0% with years between a bit below 13%.
Then we had Reagan. By 83 it was 15.2%, and that is where it was at in Clinton's first year 1993. By the time Clinton left office he had 11.3% (year 2000).
And under Bush it is rising again.
http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/histpov/hstpov6.htmlTable 6. People Below 125 Percent of Poverty Level and the Near Poor:
1959 to 2002
(Numbers in Thousands)
____________________________________________________________
Below 1.25 Between 1.00 - 1.25
____________________ ____________________
Year Total Number Percent Number Percent
____________________________________________________________
2002..... 285,317 47,084 16.5 12,514 4.4
2001..... 281,475 45,320 16.1 12,413 4.4
2000 12/. 278,944 43,612 15.6 12,030 4.3
1999 11/. 276,208 45,030 16.3 12,239 4.4
1998..... 271,059 46,036 17.0 11,560 4.3
1997..... 268,480 47,853 17.8 12,280 4.6
1996..... 266,218 49,310 18.5 12,781 4.8
1995..... 263,733 48,761 18.5 12,336 4.7
1994..... 261,616 50,401 19.3 12,342 4.7
1993 10/. 259,278 51,801 20.0 12,536 4.8
1992 9/.. 256,549 50,592 19.7 12,578 4.9
1991 8/.. 251,192 47,527 18.9 11,819 4.7
1990..... 248,644 44,837 18.0 11,252 4.5
1989..... 245,992 42,653 17.3 11,125 4.5
1988..... 243,530 42,551 17.5 10,806 4.4
1987 7/.. 240,982 43,032 17.9 10,811 4.5
1986..... 238,554 43,486 18.2 11,116 4.7
1985 .... 236,594 44,166 18.7 11,102 4.7
1984..... 233,816 45,288 19.4 11,588 5.0
1983 6/.. 231,700 47,150 20.3 11,847 5.1
1982..... 229,412 46,520 20.3 12,122 5.3
1981 5/.. 227,157 43,748 19.3 11,926 5.3
1980..... 225,027 40,658 18.1 11,386 5.1
1979 4/.. 222,903 36,616 16.4 10,544 4.7
1978..... 215,656 34,155 15.8 9,658 4.5
1977..... 213,867 35,659 16.7 10,939 5.1
1976..... 212,303 35,509 16.7 10,534 5.0
1975..... 210,864 37,182 17.6 11,305 5.4
1974 3/.. 209,362 33,666 16.1 10,296 4.9
1973..... 207,621 32,828 15.8 9,855 4.7
1972..... 206,004 34,653 16.8 10,193 4.9
1971 2/.. 204,554 36,501 17.8 10,942 5.3
1970..... 202,183 35,624 17.6 10,204 5.0
1969..... 199,517 34,665 17.4 10,518 5.3
1968..... 197,628 35,905 18.2 10,516 5.3
1967 1/.. 195,672 39,206 20.0 11,437 5.8
1966..... 193,388 41,267 21.3 12,757 6.6
1965..... 191,413 46,163 24.1 12,978 6.8
1964..... 189,710 49,819 26.3 13,764 7.3
1963..... 187,258 50,778 27.1 14,342 7.7
1962..... 184,276 53,119 28.8 14,494 7.9
1961..... 181,277 54,280 30.0 14,652 8.1
1960..... 179,503 54,560 30.4 14,709 8.2
1959..... 176,557 54,942 31.1 15,452 8.7
Footnotes
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
Poverty and Health Statistics Branch/HHES Division
U. S. Bureau of the Census
U. S. Department of Commerce