New York continues to fare poorly when it comes to the national poverty average, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

For the second time in a row, the 2006 report found New York to be the only state where poverty increased even as its median household income rose.

In Brooklyn, more than 500,000 people lived below the poverty line last year. While the national average for the median household income was $48,200 in 2006, Brooklyn households averaged a little more than $40,000. The report also found about 30 percent of Bedford-Stuyvesant residents were living in poverty in 2006.Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered a poverty address Tuesday at the Brookings Center on Children and Families briefing in Washington, D.C. He said his administration plans to tackle the problem.

The Census Bureau found the poverty level dropped to 37 million across the United States. The decrease from 12.6 percent to 12.3 percent marks the first time the poverty rate dropped since President Bush took office.

Analysts believe low-wage workers have been hurt by the nation's declining manufacturing sector, which lost more than 3 million jobs since Bush became president.

This year's report also found the number of uninsured Americans rose to 47 million in 2006.

AP wire reports contributed to this story.