Children Under Age 18 (1997–2023)

Definition

The number and percent of children under age 18 who live in families with income below the poverty threshold (100% Federal Poverty Guideline) as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Data Source

The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data were retrieved in Deecmber 2025.

*Please use these estimates with caution. The total confidence interval (upper bound minus lower bound) of the percent estimate, is 10 percentage points or greater, which indicates that this estimate has a large margin of error. This generally occurs when estimate relies on small number of cases. To obtain total confidence interval values around the estimates for this indicator please contact Washington KIDS COUNT.

Notes

The federal poverty definition consists of a series of thresholds based on family size and composition. In 2022, the poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children was $27,750. Poverty status is not determined for people in military barracks, institutional quarters, or for unrelated individuals under age 15 (such as foster children).

Last Updated

2025-12