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Sep 12, 2017

09/12/2017: America’s falling poverty rate, in context

We say it a lot in our show: context matters. Doing the numbers doesn’t do you much good without knowing the bigger picture. To wit: The official poverty rate in this country dropped a full percentage point last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, putting 12.7 percent of Americans under the poverty line. Also, median household income rose a about 3 percent to about $59,000 a year. We’ll start out today’s show by talking about what that means. Then: We talked yesterday about all the memorials to victims of mass violence being built and financed in this country. Today, we’ll take a look at what goes into maintaining them. Plus: Globalization gets a bad rap in the States, but what about emerging economies? They’re seeing the benefits and starting to catch up.

A man waits for a bus downtown on October 20, 2011 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading, a city that once boasted numerous industries and the nation's largest railroad company, has recently been named America's poorest city with residents over 65,000. According to new census data, 41.3 percent of people live below the poverty line in Reading. "Sweat" addresses not just the economic troubles in Reading, but also their effect on personal relationships.    
A man waits for a bus downtown on October 20, 2011 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading, a city that once boasted numerous industries and the nation's largest railroad company, has recently been named America's poorest city with residents over 65,000. According to new census data, 41.3 percent of people live below the poverty line in Reading. "Sweat" addresses not just the economic troubles in Reading, but also their effect on personal relationships.    
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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We say it a lot in our show: context matters. Doing the numbers doesn’t do you much good without knowing the bigger picture. To wit: The official poverty rate in this country dropped a full percentage point last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, putting 12.7 percent of Americans under the poverty line. Also, median household income rose a about 3 percent to about $59,000 a year. We’ll start out today’s show by talking about what that means.

Then: We talked yesterday about all the memorials to victims of mass violence being built and financed in this country. Today, we’ll take a look at what goes into maintaining them. Plus: Globalization gets a bad rap in the States, but what about emerging economies? They’re seeing the benefits and starting to catch up.