Well, the poverty rates in some states are over 15%... And that is using the US poverty guidelines which are purdy low... The rate for a family of 4 is $22,050.... Now if one does the math, given the prices of everything, $22,050 ain't gonna cut it for 4 people in most situations... Yeah, if they own their own land and can grow their own food and can hunt, don't have health insurance and don't need to drive, well, okay, maybe... But $22,050 for a family of 4 ain't gonna leave much for food...

But that is the threshold... If one were to revise the tables to reflect what it really takes to live then those 15% poverty rates would be more like 20% plus, which would support the "1 in 5" claim...

B~