Poverty in the United States: A Snapshot

Census figures released in September 2011 describe deepening poverty over the past year. The latest data reveal:

One out of seven people in the USA are living in poverty

In 2010, 46.2 million people – 15.1% of the population – were in poverty, up from 43.6 million in 2009 and 39.8 million in 2008—the fourth consecutive annual increase in the number of people in poverty. This is the highest poverty rate since 1993 and the largest number of people in poverty in the fifty-two years poverty estimates have been published.

The United States Bureau of the Census measures poverty by comparing household income to the poverty threshold for a household of a given size. The poverty threshold is adjusted each year to take account of changes in the cost-of-living. The poverty threshold does not represent what a family actually needs for a decent living. For example, in 2010 the poverty threshold for a household of four was $22,314.

Between 2009 and 2010, the poverty rate increased for children under age 18 (from 20.7 percent to 22.0 percent) and people aged 18 to 64 (from 12.9 percent to 13.7 percent).

Almost one out of sixteen people in the USA are living in deep poverty

Census figures show that, in 2010, the share of Americans whose cash income falls below half of the poverty line reached its highest point in 16 years.  Almost 20.5 million Americans, or 6.7% of the population, are living in deep poverty.

Racial and ethnic minorities, women, children, and families headed by single women are particularly vulnerable to poverty and deep poverty.

Blacks and Hispanics are more likely than whites to be poor, and to be in deep poverty.

• In 2010, 9.9% of non-Hispanic whites lived in poverty and 4.3% in deep poverty; 26.6% of Hispanics lived in poverty and 10.9% in deep poverty; and 27.4% of blacks lived in poverty and 13.5% in deep poverty.
• 12.4% of non-Hispanic white children under 18 lived below poverty; 35% of Hispanic children under 18 lived below poverty; and 39.1% of black children under 18 lived below poverty.  Overall, 22% of children under 18 – 16.4 million children - lived below the poverty line.
• Although blacks represent 12.6% of the general population, they represent 27.4% of the poor population.  Hispanics, who make up 16.3% of the population, represent 26.6% of the poor population.

Poverty is a women's issue; Female headed families are more likely to be poor

• In 2010, more than 4 million more women than men lived in poverty.
• Families headed by a single adult are more likely to be headed by women, and these female-headed families are at greater risk of poverty and deep poverty.  34.2% of families with a female householder where no husband is present were poor and 17% were living in deep poverty.  17.3% of families with a male householder where no wife was present were poor and 7.9% were living in deep poverty.  7.6% of married couple families with children were living in poverty and 2.4% were in deep poverty.
• Children living in single female-headed families were more than four times as likely to be living in poverty, and seven times as likely to be living in deep poverty, than children living in married couple families

Other studies report that many people living in poverty have work disabilities

• In 2008, 26.1% of the poor population between the ages of 16 and 64 had a work disability.
• Of those with a severe work disability, 33.6% were poor, compared to 14.1% with a less severe work disability and 9.1% with no work disability.

Data from U. S. Census Bureau and other published reports.