Race and Ethnicity and Poverty Status

Most indicators in America's Children are tabulated by race and ethnicity. Unless otherwise noted, the data sources used in this report have implemented the standards for reporting race and ethnicity statistics issued in 1997 by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB; https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1997-10-30/pdf/97-28653.pdf). In March 2024, OMB issued updated standards for collecting and reporting race and ethnicity data through revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15). These standards replace those established in 1997 and require all Federal information collections to align with the updated guidance as soon as possible, but no later than March 28, 2029. Because agencies are still in the process of implementing these changes, indicators in this report continue to reflect the 1997 standards and will be updated as agencies revise their data collection and reporting practices.

Many indicators in this report also include data tabulated by poverty status. All poverty-status calculations in this report are based on OMB's Statistical Policy Directive 14, the official poverty measurement standard for the United States. A family is living below the poverty level if its before-tax cash income is below a defined level called the poverty threshold. Poverty thresholds are updated annually and vary based on family size and composition. Throughout the report, tabulations are shown by poverty status using categories defined as percentages of the poverty threshold (e.g., "below 100%, 100–199%, and at or above 200% of the poverty threshold"). Narrative text may describe the condition as "below the poverty level."