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Data on Poverty in the United States

The Center for American Progress’ new poverty data project contains U.S. Census Bureau data on the national, state, and congressional district levels, all in one place. Below, users can explore data on poverty and more than a dozen other topics that measure the health of the economy, as well as identify potential solutions to the problems these data reveal.

  • Poverty rate (OPM) 1

    10.5%

    34.0 million people

    Percentage of people who fell below the poverty threshold—$25,926 for a family of four—in 2019

  • Double the poverty threshold (OPM) 2

    26.3%

    85.5 million people

    Percentage of people who fell below twice the poverty threshold—$51,852 for a family of four—in 2019

  • Half the poverty threshold (OPM) 3

    4.7%

    15.3 million people

    Percentage of people who fell below half the poverty threshold—$12,963 for a family of four—in 2019

  • Child poverty rate (OPM) 4

    14.4%

    10.5 million people

    Percentage of children under age 18 who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Women's poverty rate (OPM) 5

    11.5%

    19.0 million people

    Percentage of women who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Men's poverty rate (OPM) 6

    9.4%

    15.0 million people

    Percentage of men who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • African-American poverty rate (OPM) 7

    18.8%

    8.1 million people

    Percentage of African Americans who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Hispanic or Latino poverty rate (OPM) 8

    15.7%

    9.5 million people

    Percentage of Hispanics or Latinos who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Asian-American poverty rate (OPM) 9

    7.3%

    1.5 million people

    Percentage of Asian Americans who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • White poverty rate (OPM) 10

    7.3%

    14.2 million people

    Percentage of non-Hispanic or Latino whites who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Native American poverty rate (OPM) 11

    23%

    0.6 million people

    Percentage of Native Americans who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • People with disabilities poverty rate (OPM) 12

    22.5%

    3.3 million people

    Percentage of people with disabilities ages 18-64 who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Poverty rate (SPM) 13

    11.8%

    38.3 million people

    Percentage of people who fell below the poverty thresholds adjusted for housing costs—$29,080 for a family of four with a mortgage, $24,413 for a family of four without a mortgage, and $29,194 for a family of four that pays rent—in 2019

  • Double the poverty threshold (SPM) 14

    38.5%

    Percentage of people who fell below twice the poverty thresholds adjusted for housing costs—$58,160 for a family of four with a mortgage, $48,826 for a family of four without a mortgage, and $58,388 for a family of four that pays rent—in 2019

  • Half the poverty threshold (SPM) 15

    4%

    Percentage of people who fell below half the poverty thresholds adjusted for housing costs—$14,540 for a family of four with a mortgage, $12,207 for a family of four without a mortgage, and $14,597 for a family of four that pays rent—in 2019

  • Child poverty rate (SPM) 16

    12.6%

    9.3 million people

    Percentage of children under age 18 who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Women's poverty rate (SPM) 17

    12.4%

    20.6 million people

    Percentage of women who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Men's poverty rate (SPM) 18

    11.1%

    17.7 million people

    Percentage of men who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • African-American poverty rate (SPM) 19

    18.9%

    8.1 million people

    Percentage of African Americans who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Hispanic or Latino poverty rate (SPM) 20

    18.8%

    11.4 million people

    Percentage of Hispanics or Latinos who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Asian-American poverty rate (SPM) 21

    11.3%

    2.3 million people

    Percentage of Asian Americans who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • White poverty rate (SPM) 22

    8.2%

    15.9 million people

    Percentage of non-Hispanic or Latino whites who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • People with disabilities poverty rate (SPM) 23

    22.2%

    3.2 million people

    Percentage of people with disabilities ages 18-64 who fell below the poverty threshold in 2019

  • Income inequality 24

    16x

    The share of income going to the top 20 percent of households versus that going to the bottom 20 percent of households in 2019

  • High school graduation rate 25

    85.8%

    Percentage of public high school students who graduated on time in the 2018-19 school year

  • Disconnected youth 26

    12%

    Percentage of youth ages 18 to 24 with no degree beyond high school who were not in school or working in 2019

  • Higher education attainment rate 27

    45.8%

    Percentage of young adults ages 25 to 34 who had an associate degree or higher in 2019

  • Gender wage gap 28

    73.5¢

    Median earnings of all working women compared to that of men in 2019

  • Unemployment rate 29

    3.7%

    Percentage of all workers who were unemployed in 2019

  • Unemployment insurance coverage 30

    27.7%

    Percentage of unemployed workers who received unemployment insurance in 2019

  • Children living apart from parents 31

    6 kids

    Number of children who lived in foster care for every 1,000 children under age 18 in 2019

  • Teen birth rate 32

    16.7 births

    Number of births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19 in 2019

  • Hunger and food insecurity 33

    10.5%

    Percentage of households who were food insecure on average in 2019, meaning that at some point during the year, they experienced difficulty providing enough food due to a lack of money or resources.*

  • Affordable and available housing 34

    37 units

    Number of apartments or other units that were affordable and available for every 100 renter households with extremely low incomes—those with incomes at or below the federal poverty guideline or 30 percent of the area median income—in 2019

  • Savings and assets 35

    4.8%

    Percentage of households who used high-cost, high-risk forms of credit to make ends meet during 2019, including payday loans, automobile title loans, refund anticipation loans, rent-to-own, and pawning

  • Lack of health insurance coverage 36

    18.2%

    Percentage of people under age 65 and below 138 percent of the poverty threshold who did not have health insurance at any time in 2019.

  • Zero or negative net worth 37

    14.9%

    Percentage of households with zero or negative net worth—the sum of assets minus the sum of liabilities—in 2019

Share these data

Poverty in the United States: Compare the States

Use U.S. Census Bureau poverty data to compare states across more than a dozen topics that measure the health of the economy.

Compare States

Poverty in the United States: Explore the Data

Use U.S. Census Bureau poverty data to explore more than a dozen topics that measure the health of the economy at the state and congressional district levels.

Poverty in the United States: Explore the Map

Use U.S. Census Bureau poverty data to explore more than a dozen topics that measure the health of the economy at the state and national levels.

See The Data

* Correction, December 15, 2022: The 2021, 2019, and 2018 versions of this page have been updated to state the correct year captured in the food insecurity data available under the “Economic security” tab.

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Endnotes

  1. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  2. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  3. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  4. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  5. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  6. 2019 - Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  7. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  8. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  9. 2019 - Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  10. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  11. United States Census Bureau, Selected Population Profile in the United States: 2019 American Community Survey 1-year Estimates, (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2019) available at https://data.census.gov/table?q=American+Indian+and+Alaska+Native+poverty&tid=ACSDT1Y2018.B17001C
  12. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  13. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  14. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  15. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  16. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  17. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  18. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  19. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  20. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  21. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  22. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  23. Liana Fox and Kalee Burns, “The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-275.pdf.
  24. United States Census Bureau, Shares of Aggregate Household Income by Quintile: 2019 American Community Survey 1-year Estimates, (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2020) available at https://data.census.gov/table?q=B19082:+SHARES+OF+AGGREGATE+HOUSEHOLD+INCOME+BY+QUINTILE&tid=ACSDT1Y2019.B19082.
  25. National Center for Education Statistics, Public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) for the United States, (U.S. Department of Education, 2020), available at https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/data_tables.asp#Page:1.
  26. Kids Count Data Center, Persons age 18 to 24 not attending school, not working, and no degree beyond high school (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2020), available at https://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5063-persons-age-18-to-24-not-attending-school-not-working-and-no-degree-beyond-high-school?loc=1&loct=1#detailed/2/2-53/false/1729/any/11485
  27. United States Census Bureau, Sex by Age by Educational Attainment: 2019 American Community Survey 1-year Estimates, (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2020) available at https://data.census.gov/table?q=B15001:+SEX+BY+AGE+BY+EDUCATIONAL+ATTAINMENT+FOR+THE+POPULATION+18+YEARS+AND+OVER&tid=ACSDT1Y2019.B15001.
  28. Jessica Semega and others, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf.
  29. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2019, available at https://www.bls.gov/lau/lastrk19.htm.
  30. Employment and Training Administration, Unemployment Insurance Chartbook, (U.S. Department of Labor, 2019), available at https://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/chartbook.asp.
  31. Kids Count Data Center, Children 0 to 17 in Foster Care, (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2020), available at https://datacenter.aecf.org/data/tables/6242-children-ages-birth-to-17-in-foster-care?loc=1&loct=2#detailed/2/2-52/true/1729/any/20455.
  32. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “National Vital Statistics Reports: Births Final Data for 2019”, Vol. 70 No. 2, (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2019), available at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf.
  33. Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Matthew Rabbitt, Christian Gregory, and Anita Singh for the Economic Research Service, “Household Food Security in the United States in 2019”, No. 275, (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2020), available at hhttps://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/99282/err-275.pdf?v=9750.7.
  34. National Low Income Housing Coalition, "The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes" (2021), available at https://nlihc.org/gap.
  35. Federal Deposit Insurance Commission, Custom Data Table Tool: Alternative financial services, (FDIC, 2019), available at https://www.fdic.gov/analysis/household-survey/2019appendix.pdf.
  36. United States Census Bureau, Health Insurance Coverage Status by Ratio of Income to Poverty: American Community Survey 1-year Estimates, (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2020), available at https://data.census.gov/table?q=C27016:+HEALTH+INSURANCE+COVERAGE+STATUS+BY+RATIO+OF+INCOME+TO+POVERTY+LEVEL+IN+THE+PAST+12+MONTHS+BY+AGE&tid=ACSDT1Y2019.C27016.
  37. United States Census Bureau, Percent Distribution of Household Net Worth, by Amount of Net Worth and Selected Characteristics: Survey of Income and Program Participation, (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2020), available at https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/wealth/data/tables.All.List_2110684178.html#list-tab-List_2110684178.
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