<P> In 2015 , 13.5 % ( 43.1 million ) of Americans lived in poverty . Starting in the 1930s , relative poverty rates have consistently exceeded those of other wealthy nations . The lowest poverty rates are found in New Hampshire , Vermont , Minnesota and Nebraska , which have between 8.7 % and 9.1 % of their population living in poverty . </P>
what percentage of the us population lives below the poverty line
In 2015 , 13.5 % ( 43.1 million )