Just As Ugly with Less

In “50 Economic Numbers From 2011 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe,” the Economic Collapse blog offers up a hefty list of bullet points that accurately describe an economy teetering on the edge of disaster. That said, 50 might just be a bit of overkill. In truth, the 10 I’ve highlighted below paint a pretty frightening picture of just how bad things really are.

#1 A staggering 48 percent of all Americans are either considered to be “low income” or are living in poverty.

#2 Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be “low income” or impoverished.

#7 Since December 2007, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% once you account for inflation.

#13 One recent survey found that one out of every three Americans would not be able to make a mortgage or rent payment next month if they suddenly lost their current job.

#23 As I have written about previously, 19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 are now living with their parents.

#26 One study found that approximately 41 percent of all working age Americans either have medical bill problems or are currently paying off medical debt.

#30 The retirement crisis in the United States just continues to get worse.  According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 46 percent of all American workers have less than $10,000 saved for retirement, and 29 percent of all American workers have less than $1,000 saved for retirement.

#38 Child homelessness in the United States is now 33 percent higher than it was back in 2007.

#41 Today, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four American children is on food stamps.

#43 A staggering 48.5% of all Americans live in a household that receives some form of government benefits.  Back in 1983, that number was below 30 percent.

Still, if you still aren’t fully convinced (or you’re a glutton for ugly news and data about the state of the economy), click here to see the rest.