A Census Bureau report on Wednesday revealed nearly 46.2 million people (one out of six Americans) live in poverty in President Barack Obama’s economy. Yet, the Obama administration touted the the country’s horrific poverty figures and attempted to spin the statistics in its favor.

Rebecca M. Blank, the acting United States commerce secretary, spun the numbers in a statement by saying, “if President Obama not taken swift and aggressive action to grow our economy and create jobs, today’s report would have shown much higher poverty rates, lower incomes and a greater share of the population without health insurance.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “the gap between rich and poor Americans grew in 2011 as the poverty rate remained at almost a two-decade high,” while 25.7 million women live in poverty, which is another record high. In addition, 16.3% of women now live in poverty, which is the highest rate in 17 years, and the number of families living in poverty increased to 9.5 million, another record high. Obama’s poor economy has shrunk the country’s middle class to an all-time low, even though Obama frames himself as the candidate who can best help the middle class.

“Today’s report confirms that the American Dream remains out of reach for too many families,” Mitt Romney press secretary Andrea Saul said in a statement. “Nearly 1 in 6 Americans are living in poverty, including a record number of women, and the middle class is struggling amid falling incomes, rising prices, and persistently high unemployment.”

Saul noted that “while this may be the best President Obama can do, it’s not the best America can do,” and Romney’s “pro-growth agenda will revive our economy, spur job creation, lift families out of poverty, and create a better future for our country.”

The lack of job creation forced 368,000 Americans to give up hope and leave the workforce in August, which is the only reason why the unemployment rate went from 8.3% to 8.1%.

And those who are unemployed or in poverty are finding it more difficult to obtain gainful or higher-paying employment. The Associated Press noted that in July of 2012, 3.5 Americans were competing for each open job.