In Michigan, poverty levels have risen from 16% in 2007 to nearly 21% in 2011, meaning 1 out of 5 residents are now at or below the poverty level of $23,021 for a family of four. Sheldon Danziger says Michigan has lagged the national economy until very recently, and that, statewide, “median household income has gone down because we’re in the midst of a very slow recovery from a very bad recession.”

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