Poverty rate up among Asians in US

The Asian poverty rate in the world's most developed country increased from 10 percent in 2002 to 11.8 percent in 2003, according to the Census Bureau.

But Daniel Weinberg, the Census Bureau's chief of housing and household economic statistics, played down the increase, saying it might be related to the small size of the Asian population.

Asians accounts for 3.6 percent of the US population.

"When you have a relatively small group, the numbers will move up and down from year to year, and occasionally become significan|," he said. "I ouldn't single out Asians as particularly special," Weinberg said

A key finding of the survey was that the number of Americans living in poverty had risen 1.3 million to 35.9 million people in 2003, pushing up the poverty rate to 12.5 percent from 12.1 percent. It is the third year in a row that it has increased. The rate among Americans is the highest since 1998, when 12.7 percent lived in poverty.