Link: http://www.truth-out.org/census-data-america-got-poorer-200963661

2009 was a year of accelerating economic pain and loss, according to US Census data released today. Although the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) tells us that the "Great Recession" officially ended in December of 2009, the labor force of the US shrank by more than 130,000 from 2008 to 2009. The median family income - a better measure than average income because it reflects the exact middle of income distribution - decreased by $2,254 or 3.5 percent. The median income for all workers in the US fell from $29,868 in 2008 to $28,365 in 2009 - a 5 percent decline.