I concede that poverty may be an insecure factor.
The CIA World Factbook definition is not very clear either:
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National estimates of the percentage of the population falling below the poverty line are based on surveys of sub-groups, with the results weighted by the number of people in each group. Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations. For example, rich nations generally employ more generous standards of poverty than poor nations.
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However, the thing I was actually aiming at was literacy.
Now 97% sounds not so bad, but considering the high GDP/capita and the enormous expenses on education in the US it's surprising that almost every other Western country (and Cuba) has less illiterate people.
And keep in mind that these 3% are about 7 million US citizens (over 15) who cannot read.