U.S. Poverty Total Rises to 3-Decade High : Economy: Number of Americans below federal standard increases to 36.9 million. Census Bureau blames lingering effects of 1990-1991 recession.

The number of Americans living below the federal poverty level in 1992 rose 1.2 million to a three-decade high of 36.9 million, the Census Bureau said Monday, and analysts blamed the increase on the lingering effects of the 1990-1991 recession.

Putting the figures in historical perspective, the bureau said that 14.5% of Americans were classified as poor. Although the rate was only slightly higher than the 14.2% of the year before, it marked the highest level since the post-recession year of 1983, when it was 15.2%.

The 1992 figures, the latest available, also showed that the number of Americans without health insurance rose 2 million to 37.4 million, representing 14.7% of the civilian population.

Analysts said that the rising number of poor in America could be traced in part to a “jobless recovery” from the recent recession. That appeared to be especially true in California, where defense industry cutbacks have contributed to unemployment that remains stubbornly high.

The poverty rate in the Golden State climbed to 15.8% last year and to 17.2% in Los Angeles. Both figures are well above the national figure of 14.5%.

Only three other states--Nevada, North Carolina and Rhode Island--showed increases in poverty rates last year and no state reported a decline.

According to the Census Bureau, 19% of Californians are without health insurance--a showing worse than 40 other states and only significantly better than Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and the District of Columbia.

The government adjusts its poverty standard each year according to prevailing prices and inflation. In 1992, the poor were defined as individuals with incomes of $7,143 or less and a family of four with earnings of $14,335 or less.

Of the estimated 37 million poor, Census Bureau official Daniel Weinberg said, “This is the largest number of poor since 1963, when the total (U.S.) population was of course much smaller--about three-fourths as large as now. . . . After this recession, I expect you’ll see a decline.”

A more comparable measurement, the poverty rate, was at 14.5%, the highest level since it reached 15.2% in 1983, a year that followed a deep recession.

The South had the highest poverty rate--16.9% last year--and the lowest median household income. Two of five poor persons lived in the region, the report said, while 40% of the poor nationwide were children.

In the segment of its report on health insurance, the Census Bureau found that young adults and poor people were most likely to lack coverage, while all but 1.5% of Americans over 65 were insured.

During the last year, the report said, the percentage of Americans covered by private insurance edged down from 72.1% to 71.1%, while Medicaid coverage for the poor expanded slightly from 10.7% to 11.2% of the population.

Of the 14.7% without health insurance, Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 accounted for the largest group. Nearly 30% in this age group did not have coverage, the report said, while 28.5% of all poor persons in 1992 also were not insured.

In a related report, the Census Bureau said that median household income remained unchanged last year from the year before at $30,786. That figure was nearly $2,000 below the 1989 level. California fared better than the national average on this measure of economic well-being, with a median household income of $35,173.

As usual, the overall income figures masked sharp differences among persons by region, gender, race and ethnic background.

For example, typical household income for white Americans was $32,368 last year, compared to $22,848 for persons of Latino origin and $18,660 for African-Americans. In central cities of 1 million or more population, household income fell by 3% to $26,872, while the same figure for suburban households dropped by only 1.8% to $40,460.

A huge gender gap on earnings was evident in 1992. Men over 25 years old who held year-around, full-time jobs typically had income of $26,766 for high school graduates and $40,381 for those with college degrees. Women with the same characteristics typically had far lower income of $18,648 for high school graduates and $29,284 for college graduates.

There was evidence that women were closing the gap, however. Their income from full-time work edged up by 1.3% to reach 71% of the typical earnings of men, who showed no increase in 1992.

Poverty’s Growing Grip

Figures show 1.2 million Americans were added to the poverty rolls in 1992 as lingering unemployment and a slow recovery take their toll.

The percentage of particular groups that live in poverty By race Blacks: 33% Latinos: 29% Asians and Pacific Islanders: 13% Whites: 12% By region Southerners: 17% Westerners: 14% Midwesterners: 13% Northeasterners: 12% *

As a percentage of the population: 1959: 22.4% 1992: 14.5% Source: U.S. Census Bureau