The Lost Decade: New Census Data Outlines Bush Era Setbacks in Poverty, Income, and Health Coverage

This first decade in the new millennium has been a trying one for Americans, and the nation is still coming to terms with the scale of problems President Obama inherited. After a historic economic boom under President Clinton, the country experienced a painful bust.

A new DLC report looks at recent Census data to assess the damage. With the final year of George W. Bush's presidency on the books, the numbers are clear: much like Japan during the 1990s, the last 10 years have been a "Lost Decade" for the United States. The analysis reveals that, after a decade in which incomes rose, poverty fell, and the rate of Americans lacking health coverage shrank, the country has suffered setbacks across all three social indicators.

The new report, "The Lost Decade: New Census Data Outlines Bush Era Setbacks in Poverty, Income, and Health Coverage," authored by DLC research associate Conor McKay, makes three principal findings:

1. Income: Inflation adjusted incomes fell further under President Bush than under any president since reporting began. Under President Clinton, per capita incomes rose 25 percent.
2. Poverty: The poverty rate jumped 17 percent under President Bush, with nearly 8 million more Americans in poverty today than were in 2000. In 2008, the country saw the largest single-year increase in the poverty rate in the last 25 years. The poverty rate fell 24 percent under President Clinton.
3. Health Coverage: The number of uninsured Americans increased over 20 percent to an all-time high of 46.3 million, including a dramatic 157 percent increase in the population of uninsured Americans over the age of 65. The uninsured rate dropped under President Clinton.

The Obama administration is working hard to reverse these trends. The economic recovery package and other measures have pulled the economy back from the brink and helped to stem job losses -- and as the recovery develops, incomes will rise again and poverty will fall. As McKay's report reveals, after the past decade, America has a lot of catching up to do.

As always, I look forward to your comments and feedback.

Sincerely,

Bruce Reed
CEO