Poverty

You might think that with the economy on its slow climb back to health, Americans would have gotten a little bit happier in 2011. In fact, they got a bit more miserable. And some states have more reasons to be down in the dumps than others.

It's a tough time to be old in America, and it's worse than you may realize: According to a recent report, on average, if government benefits were taken out of the equation, the elderly would have far less income than they'd need to survive. Here's where the problem is worst.

You'd think that fast-food restaurants -- with their emphasis on value -- would appeal primarily to those at the lower end of the income scale. But according to a new national study, dining at McDonald's and its quick-serving competitors becomes more common as people make more money.

A record number of Americans %u2014 49.1 million %u2014 are poor, based on a new census measure that for the first time takes into account rising medical costs and other expenses. The numbers released Monday are part of a first-ever supplemental poverty measure aimed at providing a fuller picture of poverty.

America's road to economic recovery has been long and slow -- and uneven. Some parts of the country are doing a lot worse than others. It's a pattern that shows up in the jobs numbers, poverty rates, foreclosures. But if you want a quick, simple gauge of how any part of the U.S. is doing economically, just look at its median household income.

College football and basketball players are getting played instead of getting paid: Though they bring in the big bucks for their institutions of higher learning, more than 8 out of 10 of those FBS student-athletes are living below the poverty line, according to a new study.

The Great Recession officially ended in mid-2009, but a recent Census Bureau report shows that, for the average American family, 2010 only brought increased misery: Household incomes plummeted last year, while the number of people living in poverty rose sharply to an all-time high.

Hunger is not discriminatory, and it's everywhere. That's the message of a new study that shows children are struggling with hunger in every county and congressional district in America. But the Map the Meal Gap report also shows which states and regions are suffering disproportionately.

Poverty has been rising even faster in the suburbs than it has in cities -- about five times faster, according to the Brookings Institute. To help understand this phenomenon, 24/7 Wall St. has analyzed the 10 metropolitan areas with the highest rates of poverty in their suburbs.

Getting even a tentative handle on the multi-trillion dollar federal budget is no easy matter. Still, as the debate surrounding U.S. spending, taxes and the looming debt ceiling continues, it's worth asking: Exactly how does America spend all that cash, and what do the choices being debated really mean?