New census data out this week paint a sobering picture of deteriorating living conditions in the U.S., The Atlantic Cities‘ Emily Badger writes.
Between 2005 and 2011, the share of U.S. households unable to meet their basic expenses increased by 16 percent to 19.1 million, while the number of households that couldn’t pay the rent or mortgage grew by 39 percent. Additionally, the Census Bureau reports that just 64 percent of homes possess what the government deems a “full set of appliances,” a list that does not even include computers. The bureau soon will need to begin measuring minimum living conditions in a new way, given this century’s rapid technological advances, Badger writes.
