The declines in poverty were concentrated among Hispanic males, who saw their poverty rates go down 1.1 percent. The biggest concentration was among Hispanics living outside of major cities, where poverty rates among that population were down 5.7 percentage points. It's the longest stretch of declines in the overall poverty rate since the four-year period from 1997-2000. The national poverty rate was 22.4 percent in 1959, the year the measure was established. In the 10 years that followed, poverty rates moved steadily downward – dropping 10.3 percentage points – until a recession in 1969.

Source: Daily Mail March 01, 2019 20:20 UTC