By The Associated Press

CHICAGO - A new report finds that one-third of Illinois residents are living in or near poverty, even more than during the depths of the Great Recession.

The report issued Wednesday by the Chicago-based Social IMPACT Research Center finds that almost 1.9 million Illinoisans, or 15 percent, live in poverty. That's up from 12 percent when the recession began in late 2007.

An additional 2.2 million, or 18 percent, are close to the poverty level, compared with 16.2 percent in 2007.

A family of four is in poverty if annual income is below $23,021. Almost half of Illinoisans in poverty earn half of that threshold.

Those considered low-income earn between 100 percent and 199 percent of poverty.

The study is based on the U.S. Census Department's 2011 American Community Survey.