Atlantic City skyline

A view Atlantic City's skyline in 2010.

(John Munson | The Star-Ledger)

The struggles of Atlantic City are well documented.

Casino closures. The threat of bankruptcy. The recent state takeover.

But while much has been made about the pain being felt by the city and its most famous commercial tenants, new data show its residents likely feel the sting more than most.

Census data released last week shows that since the recession, the poverty rate in Atlantic City has jumped from 23 to a startling 37 percent. That means that well over one in three residents of this city of about 40,000 earn below federal poverty levels, which stand at just $11,880 for individuals and $24,300 for a family of four.

The median household income in New Jersey is nearly triple that.

"We've increased our amount of food in that region by 1 million pounds alone," said Debra Vizzi, president and CEO of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. "We're seeing record numbers."

That's not to say the Garden State hasn't had its own struggles with poverty. Since the Great Recession ended in 2009, the state's poverty rate is up about 2 percent overall to just under 11 percent, putting nearly 1 million residents under the federal threshold.

That, however, remains well under the national average of 15.47 percent.

Still, experts say the federal poverty line is ill-suited for a state like New Jersey, where the cost of living is higher than most states. A study in 2014 conducted by United Way of Northern New Jersey estimated that 38 percent of New Jersey households earned less than $61,200, which they deemed the budget needed to meet basic needs in the state for a family of four.

Vizzi said the Community Food Bank is expected to give out 44 million pounds of food this year, which would be about the same as 2015 -- a good sign, with an asterisk.

"We're plateauing, but we're plateauing at record numbers," she said.

Vizzi said the working poor, or people struggle to make ends meet but may or may not qualify for federal poverty benefits, represent more than 50 percent of the Food Bank's clientele. Not long ago, it was just a fraction of that.

"That's a staggering shift toward the working poor, and it's something we've never seen before," she said. "We're talking about people who have to choose between heating and eating or medicine and eating ... in order to make ends meet."

Under this broader view, the situation in Atlantic City is even more dire. There, 75 percent of the households in the city make less than $50,000 a year.

Stephen Stirling may be reached at sstirling@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @sstirling. Find him on Facebook.