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America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2011

Child Poverty and Family Income

As detailed in this report, children living in poverty are vulnerable to environmental, educational, health, and safety risks. Compared with their peers, children living in poverty, especially young children, are more likely to have cognitive, behavioral, and socioemotional difficulties, and throughout their lifetime they are more likely to complete fewer years of school and experience more years of unemployment.32, 33, 34 This indicator is based on the official poverty measure for the United States as defined in Office of Management and Budget Statistical Policy Directive 14.35

Indicator Econ1.A: Percentage of related children ages 0–17 living in poverty by family structure, 1980–2009
Percentage of related children ages 0–17 living in poverty by family structure, 1980–2009

NOTE: Related children are persons ages 0–17 who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption, but are not themselves householders, spouses, or reference persons. In 2009, the poverty threshold for a two-parent, two-child family was $21,756. The proportion of children in male-householder families (no spouse present) historically has been small. Select data for this group are available as part of Detailed Tables at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/index.html.

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

  • In 2009, 21 percent of all children ages 0–17 (15.5 million) lived in poverty. This is up from the low of 16 percent in 2000 and 2001. The poverty rate for all children increased from 18 percent in 2007 to 19 percent in 2008, and then to 21 percent in 2009. This trend is consistent with expectations related to the recent economic downturn.
  • Among all children, the poverty rate was three times higher for Black children and nearly three times higher for Hispanic children compared with the poverty rate for White, non-Hispanic children.2 In 2009, 36 percent of Black children, 33 percent of Hispanic children, and 12 percent of White, non-Hispanic children lived in poverty. These are increases from 35 percent, 29 percent, and 10 percent, respectively, in 2007.
  • As was the case for all children, the percentage of related children with family incomes below the poverty threshold was higher in 2009 (20 percent) than in 2008 (19 percent).36 The poverty rate for related children has fluctuated since the early 1980s, reaching a peak of 22 percent in 1993 and a low of 16 percent in 2000.
  • The poverty rate for related children living in female-householder families (no spouse present) was 44 percent in 2009, an increase from the low of 39 percent in 2001. The poverty rate for related children in married couple families increased from 8 percent to 11 percent over this time period.
  • Related children ages 0–5 were more likely to be living in families with incomes below the poverty line than those ages 6–17. In 2009, 24 percent of related children ages 0–5 lived in poverty, compared with 18 percent of older related children.
  • In 2009, 9 percent of related children lived in families with incomes below 50 percent of the poverty level, the highest estimate for related children since 1997.

Children's family income distribution provides a broader picture of children's economic circumstances.

Indicator Econ1.B: Percentage of related children ages 0–17 by family income relative to the poverty line, 1980–2009
Percentage of related children ages 0–17 by family income relative to the poverty line, 1980–2009

NOTE: Estimates refer to children ages 0–17 who are related to the householder. The income classes are derived from the ratio of the family's income to the family's poverty threshold. A child living in extreme poverty is defined as a child living in a family with income less than 50 percent of the poverty threshold. Below poverty, but above extreme poverty, is defined as 50–99 percent of the poverty threshold. Low income is defined as 100–199 percent of the poverty threshold. Medium income is defined as 200–399 percent of the poverty threshold. High income is defined as being at or above 400 percent of the poverty threshold. For example, in 2009, a family of four with two children would be in extreme poverty if their income was less than $10,878 (50 percent of $21,756). The same family would be classified as low income if their income was at least $21,756 and less than $43,512.

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

  • In 2009, more children lived in families with medium income (31 percent) than in families in any other income group. Fewer children lived in families with low income and with high income (22 and 28 percent, respectively) than lived in families with medium income.
  • The percentage of children living in families with medium income was lower in 2009, at 31 percent, than in 1990, at 37 percent. Conversely, the percentage of children living in families with high income was greater in 2009, at 28 percent, than in 1990, at 21 percent.
  • The percentage of children living in families in extreme poverty peaked at 10 percent in 1992, decreased to 6 percent in 2000, and rose to 9 percent in 2009. The percentage of children who lived in families with very high incomes (600 percent or more of the poverty threshold) has nearly doubled, from 7 percent in 1991 to 13 percent in 2009.

table icon ECON1.A HTML Table, ECON1.B HTML Table

2 Federal surveys now give respondents the option of reporting more than one race. Therefore, two basic ways of defining a race group are possible. A group such as Black may be defined as those who reported Black and no other race (the race-alone or single-race concept) or as those who reported Black regardless of whether they also reported another race (the race-aloneor- in-combination concept). This indicator shows data using the first approach (race alone). Use of the single-race population does not imply that it is the preferred method of presenting or analyzing data. The U.S. Census Bureau uses a variety of approaches. Data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

32 Strohschein, L. (2005, December). Household income histories and child mental health trajectories. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 46(4), 359–357.

33 Duncan, G., and Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.). (1997). Consequences of growing up poor. New York, NY: Russell Sage Press.

34 Wagmiller, Jr., R.L., Lennon, M.C., Kuang, L., Alberti, P.M., Aber, J.L. (2006, October). The dynamics of economic disadvantage and children's life changes. American Sociological Review, 71(5), 847–866.

35 Following Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive 14, poverty status is determined by comparing a family's (or an unrelated individual's) income to one of 48 dollar amounts called thresholds. The thresholds vary by the size of the family and the members' ages. In 2009, the poverty threshold for a family with two adults and two children was $21,756. For further details, see http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty.html.

36 Official poverty estimates for children are compiled in two ways—estimates for all children for whom poverty status can be determined and estimates for related children. Related children are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption and are not themselves householders, spouses, or reference persons. In 2009, all children included an additional 1.2 million children who were not related to the householder.