The number of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year, leaving one in seven Americans in poverty.

The overall poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million people, according to the Census Bureau¡¯s annual report on the economic situation of U.S. households. The report covers 2009, President Barack Obama¡¯s first year in office. The poverty rate climbed from 13.2 percent, or 39.8 million people in 2008.

Also, the share of Americans without health coverage rose from 15.4 percent to 16.7 percent or 50.7 million people. It was mostly because of the loss of employer-provided health insurance during the recession after quitting their jobs.

In a statement, Obama admitted that 2009 was a tough year for working families. But he said due to the government measures, the economy didn¡¯t get worse. ¡°Because of the recovery programs providing tax relief and income support to a majority of working families, millions of Americans were kept out of poverty last year,¡± Obama said.

Analysts said the effect of lost incomes was alleviated in part by increases in Social Security payments in 2009 as well as federal expansions of unemployment insurance, which rose substantially in 2009 under the economic stimulus program.

¡±Given all the unemployment we saw, it¡¯s true that Obama administration¡¯s policies are effective in current recession. It¡¯s the government safety net that¡¯s keeping people above the poverty line,¡± said Douglas Besharov, a University of Maryland public policy professor.