Children And Adults (2012–2024)

Definition

NA: Not available

Children under 18 and adults over 18 living in poverty, 5 year average

The poverty measure was established in 1964 based on research indicating that families spent about one-third of their income on food. A family is officially classified as poor if its cash income (wages, pensions, social security benefits and all other forms of cash income) falls below the federal poverty threshold. While the thresholds are updated each year for inflation, the measure is widely acknowledged to be outdated because in today's society, food comprises a much lower percentage of an average family's expenses than it did in the sixties, while the costs of housing, child care, health care and transportation have increased substantially. May research organizations have concluded that the official poverty measure in an antiquated standard that is no longer capable of capturing true economic need or determining whether working families earn enough to get by.

Data Source

American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau. Table S1701

Last Updated

2026-02