Trends in Poverty in the United States

Trends in Poverty in the United States

Order Code 95-1024 EPW
Updated September 6, 2005
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Trends in Poverty in the United States
Thomas Gabe
Domestic Social Policy Division
Summary
In 2004, 37 million people were found poor under the official poverty definition
— a 1.1 million increase from 2003. The poverty rate, or percent of the population
considered poor, increased for the fourth straight year, to 12.7% in 2004 — up from
12.5% in 2003, and 11.3% in 2000, its most recent low. The poverty rate in 2004 is still
well below its most recent peak of 15.1%, in 1993. The highest rate recorded was
22.4% in 1959, the first year in the Census Bureau series. Persons are considered poor
under the Census Bureau measure if their family’s pre-tax cash income is below a
poverty income threshold for a family of similar size and composition. In 2004, for
example, the poverty threshold for a family of 2, averaged $12,334 and for a family of
4, $19,307. This report will be updated annually.
Poverty among Selected Groups. The poverty rate among children is higher than
that of any other age group. In 2004 17.3 of all children were poor — still above the most
low of 15.6% in 2000, but
significantly lower than its
Figure 1. U.S. Poverty Rates by Age Group, 1959-2004
most recent peak of 22% in
1993. Among children
living in families with an
40
absent father, 41.9% were
35
Aged
poor, compared to 8.9% of
30
children living in married-
Children
couple, families. In 1969,
25
when the child poverty rate
Total
20
was at its historic low
Non-aged
Poverty rate
Children (17.3%)
adults
15
(13.8%), 11.4% of all
Total (12.7%)
children lived in families
10
Non-aged adults (11.3%)
Aged (9.8%)
with an absent father.
5
Although the poverty rate of
Estimates unavailable from 1960 to 1965
0
children in female-headed
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
families in 2004 is well
Year
below its 1969 level of
54.4%, the share of all children in such families in 2004 (23.6%) is twice what it was in
1969. In 2004, 57.2% of all poor children lived in female-headed families.
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

The poverty rate for the aged (persons age 65 and over) was 9.8% in 2004 — down from 10.2%
in 2003. The poverty rate for the aged, once higher than that of children, dropped below the child
poverty rate in 1974 and has remained below it since. The aged poverty rate in 2004 was below that
of nonaged adults (11.3%) — in 1959 it was over twice that of nonaged adults.
Poverty rates among African Americans and Hispanics are persistently higher than those of
white non-Hispanics. In 2004, 24.7% of blacks and 21.9% of Hispanics (who may be of any race)
were poor, compared to 8.6% of non-Hispanic whites. Racial data since 2002 are not comparable
to earlier years due to persons being allowed to identify themselves as being of one or more races.
Table 1. Poverty Rates for Selected Groups, 1959-2004
Related children under age 18
Adults
Race/ethnicitya — all ages
In female-
Ages
White
All
headed
In all other
18-
Age
non-
Year
persons
Total
families
families
64
65+
Whitea Hispanica
Blacka
Hispanic
2004
12.7
17.3
41.9
9.9
11.3
9.8
10.8a
8.6a
24.7a
21.9
2003
12.5
17.2
41.8
9.6
10.8
10.2
10.5a
8.2a
24.4a
22.5
2002
12.1
16.3
39.6
9.2
10.6
10.4
10.2a
8.0a
24.1a
21.8
2001
11.7
15.8
39.3
8.8
10.1
10.1
9.9
7.8
22.7
21.4
2000r
11.3
15.6
40.1
8.6
9.6
9.9
9.5
7.4
22.5
21.5
1999
11.8
16.3
41.9
9.0
10.0
9.7
9.8
7.7
23.6
22.8
1998
12.7
18.3
46.1
9.7
10.5
10.5
10.5
8.2
26.1
25.6
1997
13.3
19.2
49.0
10.2
10.9
10.5
11.0
8.6
26.5
27.1
1996
13.7
19.8
49.3
10.9
11.3
10.8
11.2
8.6
28.4
29.4
1995
13.8
20.2
50.3
10.7
11.4
10.5
11.2
8.5
29.3
30.3
1994
14.5
21.2
52.9
11.7
11.9
11.7
11.7
9.4
30.6
30.7
1993
15.1
22.0
53.7
12.4
12.4
12.2
12.2
9.9
33.1
30.6
1992r
14.8
21.6
54.6
11.8
11.9
12.9
11.9
9.6
33.4
29.6
1991r
14.2
21.1
55.5
11.1
11.4
12.4
11.3
9.4
32.7
28.7
1990
13.5
19.9
53.4
10.7
10.7
12.2
10.7
8.8
31.9
28.1
1989
12.8
19.0
51.1
10.4
10.2
11.4
10.0
8.3
30.7
26.2
1988r
13.0
19.0
52.9
10.0
10.5
12.0
10.1
8.4
31.3
26.7
1987r
13.4
19.7
54.7
10.9
10.6
12.5
10.4
8.7
32.4
28.0
1986
13.6
19.8
54.4
10.8
10.8
12.4
11.0
9.4
31.1
27.3
1985
14.0
20.1
53.6
11.7
11.3
12.6
11.4
9.7
31.3
29.0
1984
14.4
21.0
54.0
12.5
11.7
12.4
11.5
10.0
33.8
28.4
1983
15.2
21.8
55.5
13.5
12.4
13.8
12.2
10.8
35.7
28.1
1982
15.0
21.3
56.0
13.0
12.0
14.6
12.0
10.6
35.6
29.9
1981
14.0
19.5
52.3
11.6
11.1
15.3
11.1
9.9
34.2
26.5
1980
13.0
17.9
50.8
10.4
10.1
15.7
10.2
9.1
32.5
25.7
1979
11.7
16.0
48.6
8.5
8.9
15.2
9.0
8.1
31.0
21.8
1978
11.4
15.7
50.6
7.9
8.7
14.0
8.7
7.9
30.6
21.6
1977
11.6
16.0
50.3
8.5
8.8
14.1
8.9
8.0
31.3
22.4
1976
11.8
15.8
52.0
8.5
9.0
15.0
9.1
8.1
31.1
24.7
1975
12.3
16.8
52.7
9.8
9.2
15.3
9.7
8.6
31.3
26.9
1974
11.2
15.1
51.5
8.3
8.3
14.6
8.6
7.7
30.3
23.0
1973
11.1
14.2
52.1
7.6
8.3
16.3
8.4
7.5
31.4
21.9
1972
11.9
14.9
53.1
8.6
8.8
18.6
9.0
n/a
33.3
n/a
1971
12.5
15.1
53.1
9.3
9.3
21.6
9.9
n/a
32.5
n/a
1970
12.6
14.9
53.0
9.2
9.0
24.6
9.9
n/a
33.5
n/a
1969
12.1
13.8
54.4
8.6
8.7
25.3
9.5
n/a
32.2
n/a
1968
12.8
15.3
55.2
10.2
9.0
25.0
10.0
n/a
34.7
n/a
1967 14.2
16.3
54.3
11.5
10.0
29.5
11.0
n/a
39.3
n/a
1966
14.7
17.4
58.2
12.6
10.5
28.5
11.3
n/a
41.8
n/a
1959
22.4
26.9
72.2
22.4
17.0
35.2
18.1
n/a
55.1
n/a
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service based on U.S. Bureau of the Census data. Current Population
Reports, series P-60 and CRS tabulations of Current Population Survey data.
Note: Related children are children in primary families beginning in 1979. Before 1979, children in unrelated subfamilies are
included as related children.
a Beginning in 2002, CPS respondents could identify themselves as being of more than one race. Consequently, racial data for
2002 and after are not comparable to earlier years. Here, in 2002 and after, the term white means of white race alone and the term
black means of black race alone. Hispanics, who may be of any race, are included among whites and blacks unless otherwise noted
(i.e., white non-Hispanic).
r = Revised estimates. n/a = Not available.