poverty

One in six households reported missing or delaying paying bills just so they could buy food, an NPR poll says. And many are having trouble paying the rent, especially African Americans and Latinos.

Median household income jumped to $68,700 in 2019, the highest since record-keeping began in 1967. Many of those gains have likely been erased this year, as the pandemic left tens of millions jobless.

Filling in the gaps of a strained safety net, volunteers give their time and resources to help neighbors hit hard by the pandemic and its economic fallout.

"It's not just city hall that has to act. You have to promote solidarity among neighbors," says a mayor who encourages residents sheltering in place to hang red rags so others will know to help them.

In a poor neighborhood in Islamabad, houses are right up against each other, families may live 10 or more in a single room and streets are narrow and crowded.

Many food banks and homeless shelters depend on volunteers. But fewer are showing up at a time when the need for these services is skyrocketing.

The firm that staffed the emergency room with doctors at Nashville General Hospital was taking more patients to court for unpaid medical bills than any other hospital or practice in the city.

With drug costs on the rise — and insurers refusing to cover some prescriptions — even patients with insurance can find themselves facing high out-of-pocket costs or going without.

Critics love to hate the World Economic Forum's annual meeting for elites. But people who work in global health and development say it has helped do some good.

A new survey of Americans across all income brackets captures some surprising views about their economic experience and expectations of success.

Paying minimum wage workers $1 more per hour might save lives, according to new research. The increases appear to have the largest effect when unemployment is high.

In Albany, N.Y., three men use their own experiences to set teens on the right path. Efforts by individuals can sometimes have an outsized impact in the fight against poverty.