Study reveals high probability of poverty in 60% of the adult population of the United States

Published at: 19/11/2025 02:50 PM

Academic research confirms that most U.S. citizens will face economic difficulties throughout their lives. The study, conducted by sociologist Mark Rank, indicates that almost 60% of adults will temporarily live below the poverty line.

Ilona Biskup, a former airline employee, is an example of this reality. After a thirty-year professional career, she currently needs food aid to survive. Their situation is due to health complications that exhausted their financial reserves.

Professor Rank's analysis identifies three main causes for this phenomenon: unemployment, medical emergencies and family ruptures. The expert points out that this is a structural difficulty, aggravated by an insufficient social protection system and by low-wage jobs.

Complementary research from the Pew Research Center specifies that more than a quarter of the population had difficulty defraying health expenses in the past year. At the same time, one in five people used the services of food banks in the same period.

The interruption of payments for the federal nutrition assistance program, known as SNAP, increased demand for these institutions. Feeding South Florida, an organization in that region, doubled the number of people served daily after the suspension of government transfers.

Biskup, which now combines state aid with the support of these entities, represents a segment of the population that, after a lifetime of work, is faced with unforeseen events that alter its economic stability.

Mazo News Team