09/12/2017: America's falling poverty rate, in context




Marketplace show

Summary: We say it a lot in our show: context matters. Doing the numbers doesn't do you much good without knowing the bigger picture. To wit: The official poverty rate in this country dropped a full percentage point last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, putting 12.7 percent of Americans under the poverty line. Also, median household income rose a about 3 percent to about $59,000 a year. We'll start out today's show by talking about what that means. Then: We talked yesterday about all the memorials to victims of mass violence being built and financed in this country. Today, we'll take a look at what goes into maintaining them. Plus: Globalization gets a bad rap in the States, but what about emerging economies? They're seeing the benefits and starting to catch up.