t.j. winnikeporter: 2009 was an historically bad year for the american worker. marleau led early is one of 1.3 million americans that has been in danger of losing their home. >> frustrating, heart breaking. >> reporter: today a u.s. census report on the well-being of american families brought that frustration and heart ache into greater focus. >> >> did rate for the nation went up to 14.3%. representing 46.3 million people which is the largest number in the years they have been collecting information. >> reporter: one in seven americans are now living in poverty as the recession forced millions out of work. especially troubling the number of children living in poverty. >> the highest poverty rates by far are among kids who live in single and female-headed families but now we have way more mothers that work that in the past. even though the unemployment raid went up and we have some, fewer than we did last year -- >> one thing that prevented these numbers from being worse, the social programs deli