Sheldon Danziger quoted in AP article about increase in U.S. working-age poor

September 6, 2011

Sheldon Danziger was quoted in an Associated Press story published by CBS News, MSNBC, and others called, "Working-age adults make up record share of U.S. poor."

The article—published ahead of the 2010 census figures that will be released next week—discusses the shift of the working-age poor to nearly 60 percent of the poor, and how demographic changes, unemployment, lack of education, and a lagging economy are contributing to this increase.

"There is a lot of discussion about what the aging of the baby boom should mean for spending on Social Security and Medicare. But there is not much discussion about how the wages of workers, especially those with no more than a high school degree, are not rising," Sheldon Danziger told the Associated Press.

Analysts predict the new census figures will put working-age poor at their highest level since the 1960s and show an increase in the overall poverty rate, which is currently 14.3 percent. "The reality is there are going to be a lot of working poor for the foreseeable future," Danziger explained.