Forum on Child and Family StatisticsChild Poverty and Income Distribution
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. Throughout their lifetimes, they are more likely to complete fewer years of school and experience more years of unemployment.27, 28, 29, 30 The data below are based on the official poverty measure for the United States as defined in U.S. Office of Management and Budget Statistical Policy Directive14, 31
Indicator ECON1.A: Percentage of children ages 0–17 living in poverty by race and Hispanic origin, 2000–2021
NOTE: In 2021, the poverty threshold for a two-parent, two-child family was $27,479. The data for calendar year 2017 and beyond reflect the implementation of an updated processing system. Users should use caution when comparing post-2017 data to pre-2017 data. The source of the calendar year 2013 data for this figure is the portion of the 2014 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) sample that received income questions consistent with the 2013 CPS ASEC. Data for calendar year 2014 and onward used the redesigned income questions. Users should use caution when comparing 2013 data to 2014 data. The data for 2019 were collected during the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the Census Bureau went to great lengths to continue to complete interviews by telephone, the response rate for the survey was negatively impacted. The Census Bureau creates weights designed to adjust for nonresponse, but non-respondents in 2020 are less similar to respondents than in earlier years. Of particular interest, respondents in 2020 had relatively higher income and were more educated than non-respondents. For possible effects on these estimates, please see https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/research-matters/2020/09/pandemic-affect-survey-response.html. Some estimates have been revised since previous publication in America's Children. The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data used to produce this product (Data Management System (DMS) number: D-0000010797, Disclosure Review Board (DRB) approval number: CBDRB-FY23-SEHSD003-028).
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
- In 2021, 15.3% of all children ages 0–17 were in poverty, a 0.7 percentage point decrease from 2020.
- The 2021 poverty rate was higher for Black, non-Hispanic and Hispanic children than for White, non-Hispanic children.4 Some 8.8% of White, non-Hispanic children lived in poverty compared with 27.3% of Black, non-Hispanic children and 22.4% of Hispanic children.
- From 2010 to 2021, the poverty rate for all children decreased from 22.0% to 15.3%. The decrease in poverty was greater for Black, non-Hispanic and Hispanic children than for White, non-Hispanic children.32 Between 2010 and 2021, poverty rates decreased by 3.5 percentage points for White, non-Hispanic children, 11.8 percentage points for Black, non-Hispanic children, and 12.5 percentage points for Hispanic children.
- Children in married-couple families were less likely to be living in poverty than children living in female-householder families (no spouse present). In 2021, about 6.8% of children in married-couple families were living in poverty compared with 37.1% in female-householder families.
- In 2021, the poverty rate for White, non-Hispanic children in married-couple families was 3.8%, whereas the poverty rate for White, non-Hispanic children in female-householder families was 29.1%.
- For Black, non-Hispanic children, the poverty rates were 10.7% for those in married-couple families and 41.5% for those in female-householder families in 2021.
- In 2021, about 13.0% of Hispanic children in married-couple families were living in poverty compared with 42.3% in female-householder families.
- Children ages 0–5 were more likely to be living in families with incomes below the poverty threshold than those ages 6–17. In 2021, 16.3% of children ages 0–5 lived in poverty compared with 14.9% of older children.
Family income distribution provides a broader picture of children's economic circumstances. Families with incomes below their assigned poverty thresholds are considered to be in poverty. However, the income-to-poverty ratio provides additional information on families' economic security. A family with income that is less than half of their poverty threshold would have an income-to-poverty ratio of 50%, whereas a family that has income that surpasses their threshold would have a ratio greater than 100%. The further a family's income-to-poverty ratio falls below 100%, the more severe their economic circumstances. As a family's income-to-poverty ratio increases above 100%, they experience more economic security.
Indicator ECON1.B: Percentage of children ages 0–17 by family income relative to the poverty line, 2000–2021
NOTE: This graph shows income categories derived from the ratio of a family's income to the family's poverty threshold. In 2021, the poverty threshold for a family of four with two children was $27,479. For example, a family of four with two children would be living below 50% of the poverty threshold if their income was less than $13,740 (50% of $27,479). If the same family's income was at least $27,479 but less than $54,958, the family would be living at 100%–199% of the poverty threshold. The data for calendar year 2017 and beyond reflect the implementation of an updated processing system. Users should use caution when comparing post-2017 data to pre-2017 data. The source of the calendar year 2013 data for this figure is the portion of the 2014 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) sample that received income questions consistent with the 2013 CPS ASEC. Data for calendar year 2014 and onward used the redesigned income questions. Users should use caution when comparing 2013 data to 2014 data. The data for 2019 were collected during the COVID-19 global pandemic. While the Census Bureau went to great lengths to continue to complete interviews by telephone, the response rate for the survey was negatively impacted. The Census Bureau creates weights designed to adjust for nonresponse, but non-respondents in 2020 are less similar to respondents than in earlier years. Of particular interest, respondents in 2020 had relatively higher income and were more educated than non-respondents. For possible effects on these estimates, please see https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/research-matters/2020/09/pandemic-affect-survey-response.html. The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data used to produce this product (Data Management System (DMS) number: D-0000010797, Disclosure Review Board (DRB) approval number: CBDRB-FY23-SEHSD003-028).
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
- In 2021, 29.0% of children lived in families where incomes were 200–399% of the poverty threshold. Fewer children lived in families where incomes were 400–599% of the poverty threshold than in families where incomes were 100–199% of the poverty threshold. Some 16.1% of children lived in families where incomes were 400–599% of the poverty threshold, while 19.7% lived in families where incomes were 100–199% of the poverty threshold.
- The percentage of children living in families with incomes below 50% of the poverty threshold was lower in 2021 (7.2%) than in 2010 (9.9%). The percentage of children living in families with incomes of 600% of the poverty threshold and above was higher in 2021 (19.9%) than in 2010 (12.3%).
ECON1A HTML Table | ECON1B HTML Table
14 Gibson, C., & Jung, K. (2006). Historical census statistics on the foreign-born population of the United States: 1850 to 2000. (U.S. Census Bureau: Population Division Working Paper Number 81). http://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2006/demo/POP-twps0081.html.
27 Strohschein, L. (2005). Household income histories and child mental health trajectories. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 46(4), 357–359.
28 Duncan, G., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.). (1997). Consequences of growing up poor. Russell Sage Press.
29 Wagmiller, R. L., Jr., Lennon, M. C., Kuang, L., Alberti, P. M., & Aber, J. L. (2006). The dynamics of economic disadvantage and children's life changes. American Sociological Review, 71(5), 847–866.
30 Dahl, G., & Lochner, L. (2008). The impact of family income on child achievement: Evidence from the earned income tax credit (NBER Working Paper No. 14599). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w14599.
31 Following U.S. Office of Management and Budget 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 2021, the poverty threshold for a family with two adults and two children was $27,479. For further details, see http://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html.
32 The change in poverty rate from 2010 to 2021 was not statistically different for Black, non-Hispanic children and Hispanic children.
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
