Census: Miss. poverty rate up to 17.6%

The Associated Press reports that the percentage of the number of people in Mississippi living in poverty over the last three years has increased to 17.6%. The federal poverty level, which changes periodically, is currently about $17,000.00 for a family of four. Marianne Hill, a senior economist with the State College Board, said, "We lost more manufacturing jobs than any other state." She was referring to the time period August 2002 to August 2003.