>Food stamp usage, child poverty on the rise in N.J.
The national poverty rate is at 15.3 percent, the unemployment rate is around 9 percent, and people are continuing to feel the pinch in New Jersey. According to just released census figures, about one out of 15 state households received food stamps in 2010.
NorthJersey.com reported that while New Jersey came in at No. 2 in household income last year, 215,000 households got food stamps, an increase of 23.2 percent from 2009. Also, in 2010, one of every seven children was determined poor.
The US recession started back in 2007, and the number of people living in poverty has reached an all-time high. According to PressTV, child poverty rates are now at 25 percent or higher in ten states. (Holt, New Jersey Newsroom)