New Jersey's poverty rate has gone up for a fourth year in a row.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday that 988,000 residents of the state — or 11.4 percent — were living below the poverty level in 2011.
The state's poverty rate in 2006 was 8.8 percent. In 2010, it was 10.7 percent.
The national rate rose to 15.1 percent last year from 15 percent the year before.
Legal Services of New Jersey says the rate has risen more since the Great Recession ended than it did during the period of economic contraction.
A family of four with an income under $22,811 was considered to be in poverty last year.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
