In the United States, the official poverty rate was 15 percent in 2012, which is "46.5 million people living on or under the poverty line" ("Poverty in the United States"). If that number was compared to state populations, it would equal the combined populations of Florida, Texas, and New Mexico (Hefner). The states with the highest poverty percentages in September 2014 were Mississippi with 21 percent, New Mexico with 19.9 percent, and Arizona with 19.1 percent (Hotez). Many Americans have begun to ignore the fact that there are so many people living under the poverty line, but ignoring poverty will not help the problem go away. According to most people, poverty means to be homeless, unemployed, or hungry. While that is true for many of the individuals experiencing poverty, it is much more than just appearance. The world is still facing the issue of poverty today, and it cannot be ignored any longer.
Poverty by definition is "the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support" ("poverty"). According to this definition, it doesn't mention anything about appearance. Many think that people living in poverty display the physical presence of being poor, such as the stereotypical homeless person on the street. Poverty can also be represented by the individual sitting at their computer desk earning an hourly wage less than ten dollars per hour, however many don't realize that poverty is a hidden issue that can be hard to see at times. For many decades, poverty has been an issue in the United States, and it is a continuous problem that is very difficult to solve. Evidence of this is at the number of people in poverty continues to rise. Due to a government shutdown in 2008, many people went through poverty. This tragic event resulted in many people losing their source of income. This caused people to search for minimum wage jobs.
