Institute Index: Poverty and plenty

Latest indicators from the Institute Index, a feature of the Institute's Facing South e-newsletter:

Out of "America's Richest 400" as ranked by Forbes magazine, number that are billionaires: 400

Number of richest 11 individuals that are heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune: 5

Rank of "facelifts" among expenses that have increased for the wealthy over the last year, as part of Forbes' "Cost of Living Extremely Well Index": 5

Rank of "silverware": 1

Amount by which the number of people living in poverty increased from 2000 to 2005: 5 million

Number of children in the U.S. that live in poverty: 1 in 6

Percent of African Americans that live in poverty: 24.7

Out of 10 states with highest poverty rate, number in the South: 6

Amount the median family incomes dropped from 2000 to 2004: 2.9%

Number in U.S. who work full time and still live in poverty: 3 million

Percent in the U.S. who believe "American society is divided into haves and have-nots": 48

Percent of African Americans who believe "the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer": 81

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