In the midst of a severe economic recession, the gap between the rich and the poor rose to record proportions last year, according to a newly released U.S. Census report.
The richest 20 percent of the country &- those who make $100,000 a year or more &- make more than 49 percent of its income, the report found, while the poorest 20 percent of the country make less than 4 percent.
The income gap is the highest that the U.S. Census has ever reported since its first year tracking income in 1967.
Increasing numbers of Americans fell into poverty all around the country. In Massachusetts, 22,602 additional people fell below the poverty line from 2008 to 2009.
What's more, families with households in the top five percent of incomes slightly increased their earnings last year, according to the report.
Over the same time, the country's mean income fell from $51,726 to $50,221. In Massachusetts, the mean income dropped to $64,081, a 1.3 percent decrease.
The percent of Americans falling to half the poverty level is the highest since the Census began tracking this figure in 1975.
The data from this report can be put to use in federal and local decision-making, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said in a statement.
"Collectively, ACS and census data are critical components of the nation's information infrastructure, providing data essential to our economy and our communities," Groves said.
"ACS data are required by numerous federal programs and for planning and decision making at the state and federal level," he added. "ACS data help communities and businesses create jobs, plan for the future, establish new businesses and improve our economy."
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