--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These Americans are among the working…" description: "\"These Americans are among the working poor with full-time jobs earning $5.15 an hour. Millions fall into this boat, even more when you consider that th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/marcy-kaptur-22659_adequately_these-americans-are-among-the-working-po_42992.png" --- # These Americans are among the working poor with full-time… ![“These Americans are among the working poor with full-time jobs earning $5.15 an hour. Millions fall into this boat, even more when you consider that the poverty line has not been adequately adjusted to reflect the true level of poverty in this country.” quote by Marcy Kaptur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/marcy-kaptur-22659_adequately_these-americans-are-among-the-working-po_42992.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/marcy-kaptur-22659_adequately_these-americans-are-among-the-working-po_42992.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/marcy-kaptur-22659_adequately_these-americans-are-among-the-working-po_42992.png) > “These Americans are among the working poor with full-time jobs earning $5.15 an hour. Millions fall into this boat, even more when you consider that the poverty line has not been adequately adjusted to reflect the true level of poverty in this country.” [Marcy Kaptur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcy-kaptur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Full‑time workers earning near‑minimum wage still live in poverty because official poverty thresholds lag behind real cost of living. **In simple terms:** Working poor persist despite employment. Key Takeaway Wage stagnation fuels poverty. Themes Economic inequality Labor market Social policy Cost of living Poverty measurement Mood Concerned Urgent Type Political Statistical When to use this quote - Policy debate on wage floors - Advocacy for poverty‑adjusted metrics - Community outreach to low‑income workers Key Concepts Minimum wage Poverty line Full‑time employment Practical Applications - Legislative proposals to raise minimum wage - Public awareness campaigns on hidden poverty Questions to Reflect On - How should poverty thresholds be updated to reflect modern expenses? - What policies could effectively lift the working poor out of poverty? A Different Perspective Some argue that personal responsibility, not wage levels, primarily determines economic outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adequately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adequately/) [Adjusted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adjusted/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Americans Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-working-641705/) [Among](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/among/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Boat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boat/) [Consider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consider/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Earning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earning/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Full-time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/full-time/) [Hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hour/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/level/) [Level Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/level-poverty-429714/) [Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/line/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-line-233494/) [Reflect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflect/) [True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) [Working Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-poor-641704/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think in some ways it would make more sense to have as a poverty level a relative concept and say, the level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/i-think-in-some-ways-it-would-make-more-sense-to-have-as-a-poverty/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [We measure poverty by what I believe is a very, very crude concept. 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I thought the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/even-growing-up-the-way-i-did-i-was-shocked-by-the-level-of-poverty-i/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I never want to get to that level of poverty where taking a bath has to be a hot-pot experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-never-want-to-get-to-that-level-of-poverty-where-taking-a-bath-has/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [“The quarter century following World War II was a ‘golden age’ for most workers and their families…, even for men with a high school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/the-quarter-century-following-world-war-ii-was-a-golden-age-for-most/) [Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/) > [More Americans are working today than at any time in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wicker/more-americans-are-working-today-than-at-any-time-in-history/) [Roger Wicker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wicker/) > [Today, there are more Americans working than ever before in the history of our Nation, and the average wage of those workers is higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-tiahrt/today-there-are-more-americans-working-than-ever-before-in-the/) [Todd Tiahrt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-tiahrt/) > [President Obama made the right choice, over one million Americans are still working today. 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Sociologists have actually found that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/wherever-we-are-any-time-of-night-or-day-our-bosses-junk-mailers-our/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Indeed, I think most Americans now know that in 1935 when Social Security was created, there were some 42 Americans working for every American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shadegg/indeed-i-think-most-americans-now-know-that-in-1935-when-social/) [John Shadegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shadegg/) > [We need to simplify the tax code to reward Americans for working hard, investing, saving - and allow families to keep more of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-young/we-need-to-simplify-the-tax-code-to-reward-americans-for-working-hard/) [Todd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-young/) > [Cutting tax credits for education and training will result in more Americans working at minimum-wage jobs while U.S. companies go begging for the higher-paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raja-krishnamoorthi/cutting-tax-credits-for-education-and-training-will-result-in-more/) [Raja Krishnamoorthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raja-krishnamoorthi/) ## More by Marcy Kaptur > [I wholeheartedly support the aspirations of the Ukrainian people for a democratic, free and just society where the rule of law prevails without corruption…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcy-kaptur/i-wholeheartedly-support-the-aspirations-of-the-ukrainian-people-for/) [Marcy Kaptur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcy-kaptur/) > [Since President Bush took office, we have lost 3 million more good jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcy-kaptur/since-president-bush-took-office-we-have-lost-3-million-more-good-jobs/) [Marcy Kaptur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcy-kaptur/) > [That level of trade deficit throttles real growth in our country and continues the unfortunate path of selling out America. 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