That's the number of Americans now living in poverty.
According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2009, 14.3 percent of Americans, or 43.6 million, earned less than the $21,954 threshold for a family of four, an increase of 0.9 percent over the previous year. It's the highest percentage of Americans in poverty in 15 years, and the largest number of Americans falling below the poverty line since such statistics began being kept 50 years ago.
