A Profile of the Working Poor, 1999
U.S. Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics
February 2001
Report 947
In 1999, 32.3 million people, or 11.8 percent of the population, lived at or below the official poverty level-2.2
million fewer than in 1998. While most of these people were children and adults who did not participate in the labor force,
some 6.8 million were classified as the "working poor." This was 362,000 fewer than in 1998, continuing a 6-year downtrend.
The working poor are individuals who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force (working or looking for work), but whose incomes
fell below the official poverty level. Of all persons who worked 27 weeks or more, 5.1 percent were classified among the working
poor in 1999, down 0.3 percentage point from the previous year. (See tables A and 1.)
Table A. Poverty status of persons and primary families in the labor force
for 27 weeks or more, 1996-99
(Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic
1996 1997 1998 1999
Total persons 1 128,320 130,047 131,731 133,651
In poverty
7,421 7,453 7,158 6,796
Poverty rate
5.8 5.7 5.4 5.1
Unrelated individuals
25,539 26,158 26,971 27,845
In poverty
2,423 2,534 2,281 2,272
Poverty rate
9.5 9.7 8.5 8.2
Primary families 2
58,087 58,815 59,621 60,454
In poverty
4,084 4,068 4,019 3,755
Poverty rate
7.0 6.9 6.7 6.2
1 Includes persons in families, not shown separately.
2 Primary families with at least one member in the labor force for more than half of the year.
Working full time substantially lowers a person's probability of being poor. Among persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 3.9 percent of those usually employed full time were in poverty, compared with 10.5 percent for part-time workers. Nonetheless, the majority of the working poor-64.0 percent-were full-time workers. Only a very small proportion of the working poor (3.5 percent) actively sought a job for more than 6 months in 1999 without finding any work, down from 5.1 percent in 1998.
This report presents data on the relationships between labor force activity and poverty in 1999 for individual workers and their families. The data were collected in the work experience and income supplement to the March 2000 Current Population Survey (CPS). For a more detailed description of the source of the data and an explanation of the concepts and definitions used in this report, see the technical note.
For persons living with family members, the earnings thresholds used to determine poverty status are defined in terms of family income, rather than personal income. Thus, for persons living in family situations, earnings from their employment are only one factor in their poverty status. Other important factors include the earnings of others in the family, other sources of income that family members might have, and the size of the family. For persons living alone or with unrelated individuals, personal income data are used in determining poverty status.
Demographic characteristics
Among those who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 1999, the proportion of women classified as working poor (5.9 percent) was higher than that of men (4.4 percent). Both rates have fallen since the early 1990s; they had been as high as 7.3 percent for women and 6.2 percent for men as recently as 1993. As in earlier years, younger workers were most vulnerable to poverty, in part because earnings are lower and unemployment is higher for younger workers than for older workers. Among teenagers who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 10.1 percent were in poverty, as were 10.6 percent of those aged 20 to 24. These rates were roughly double the rate for workers aged 35 to 44 (4.7 percent), and more than triple the rate for workers 45 to 54 years of age (2.8 percent). (See table 2.)
Black and Hispanic workers continued to experience poverty at much higher rates than did whites. In 1999, 4.3 percent of whites who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more were classified as working poor, compared with 10.2 percent of blacks and 10.7 percent of Hispanics. Nonetheless, the vast majority of the working poor were white (70 percent) . Among whites and Hispanics, rates for men and women were comparable; however, the rate for black women (13.6 percent) was more than twice the rate for black men (6.2 percent). One explanation for this is that a relatively large proportion of black women maintain families. Nearly 30 percent of black women maintained families in 1999, compared with only about 10 percent of white women. As noted below, women maintaining families are far more likely to be among the working poor than are married women.
Working wives were less likely than working husbands to be poor, primarily because working wives were more likely to be in families with a second earner, usually a husband. (See "Family structure" below.) In 1999, 1.8 percent of married women who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more were in poverty, compared with 3.2 percent of married men. In contrast, 19.2 percent of women who maintained families and who were in the labor force for at least 6 months were in poverty. (See table 5.)
Educational attainment
The risk of being among the working poor declines substantially for workers who complete high school. In 1999, 6.0 percent of workers with a high school diploma were in poverty, considerably lower than the proportion of those who had not completed high school (14.3 percent). Moreover, rates for workers with associate's and bachelor's degrees were even lower. At nearly all major educational attainment levels, women were more likely than men and blacks were more likely than whites to be among the working poor. (See table 3.)
Occupation
The likelihood of being among the working poor continued to vary widely by occupation in 1999. Nearly 11 percent of all workers who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks and whose longest job over the year was in services were poor. Other occupations with relatively high proportions of workers in poverty included farming, forestry, and fishing (15.7 percent), and operators, fabricators, and laborers (6.9 percent). Rates were lowest for executives, administrators, and managers (1.7 percent) and for those employed as professional specialty workers (1.4 percent). These are occupations in which high earnings and full-time employment are typical. (See table 4.)
Family structure
Among families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 3.8 million families, or 6.2 percent, had incomes below the poverty line in 1999, down from 6.7 percent in 1998. The poverty threshold for families reflects both the total family income and the number of family members; thus, the larger the family, the higher the level of income needed to keep the family out of poverty. The fact that the presence and number of young children can decrease the overall labor supply of a family also contributes to the relatively high incidence of poverty among families with children. In 1999, families with at least one child under age 18 continued to be much more likely to have incomes below the poverty level than did families without children (9.3 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively).
The more workers a family has, the less likely that family is to be living below the poverty line. For example, only 1.8 percent of families with two labor force participants and 1.1 percent of families with three or more participants were among the working poor. In contrast, 12.8 percent of families with only one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more were in poverty. (See tables 5 and 6.)
Unrelated individuals
Unrelated individuals are persons who live either alone or with nonrelatives. Of the 27.8 million unrelated individuals who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 1999, 2.3 million, or 8.2 percent, lived below the poverty level. This rate was down slightly from 8.5 percent in 1998. It should be noted that the poverty status of unrelated individuals, unlike that of family members, is determined by their personal incomes.
The living situations of unrelated individuals are characterized in one of two ways: some live by themselves, while some share housing with other, unrelated persons. Of those who were labor force participants for more than 6 months in 1999, persons living with unrelated individuals were twice as likely to be poor (11.3 percent) as were those living alone (5.4 percent). Unrelated individuals with low incomes often live with others in order to share expenses and pool resources. Because their poverty status is not determined by household income, the poverty measure for these unrelated individuals may overstate their actual economic hardship. Conversely, many of those who live alone do so because they have sufficient incomes to support themselves. (See table 7.)
Labor market problems
As noted above, people who usually work full time-that is, 35 hours or more per week-are far less likely to live in poverty than are others. However, there remains a sizable group of full-time workers who live below the poverty threshold. Among those who participated in the labor force for more than half of the year and who usually worked in full-time wage and salary jobs, 3.6 million, or 3.4 percent, were classified as working poor in 1999. The proportion has been on a downward trend since 1994. (See table 8.)
There are three primary labor market problems experienced by these full-time workers: Low earnings, periods of unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment. (See definitions of these problems in the technical note.) About 4 out of 5 of the working poor who usually worked full time experienced at least one of these major labor market problems. Low earnings continued to be the most common problem encountered-68.2 percent faced low earnings, either alone or in conjunction with other labor market problems. Nearly 35 percent of the working poor experienced unemployment, either alone or in conjunction with other problems. Only 4.3 percent experienced all three problems-low earnings, unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment.
Some 606,000, or 16.8 percent, of these working poor did not experience any of the three primary labor market problems in 1999. Their classification as working poor may be explained by other factors, including short-term employment, some weeks of voluntary part-time work, or a family structure that increases the risk of poverty.
Technical Note
Source of data
The primary source of data in this report is the work experience and income supplement (the Annual Demographic Survey) to the March 2000 Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect demographic, social, and economic information about persons 16 years of age and older. Work experience and income information collected in the March supplement refers to activity in the entire prior calendar year.
The estimates in this report are based on a sample and, consequently, may differ from figures that would have been obtained from a complete count using the same questionnaire and procedures. Sampling variability may be relatively large in cases where the numbers are small. Thus, small estimates, or small differences between estimates, should be interpreted with caution. For a detailed explanation of the March supplement to the Current Population Survey, its sampling variability, and more extensive definitions than those provided below, see
"Poverty in the United States: 1999-Current Population Reports," series P-60, no. 210
(U.S. Census Bureau, September 2000). This publication also is available on the U.S. Census Bureau website (https://www.census.gov).
Information in this report will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339. This material is in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be reproduced without permission.
For more information on the data provided in this report, write to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Labor Force Statistics, Room 4675, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20212; e-mail: cpsinfo@bls.gov; or telephone (202) 691-6378.
Concepts and definitions
Poverty classification.
Poverty statistics presented in this report are based on definitions developed by the Social Security Administration in 1964 and revised by Federal interagency committees in 1969 and 1981. These definitions originally were based on the Department of Agriculture's Economy Food Plan and reflected the different consumption requirements of families, based on factors such as family size and the number of children under 18 years of age.
The actual poverty thresholds vary in accordance with the makeup of the family. In 1999, the average poverty threshold for a family of four was $17,029; for a family of nine or more persons, the threshold was $34,417; and for an unrelated individual aged 65 or older, it was $7,990. Poverty thresholds are updated each year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). The thresholds do not vary geographically. For more information, see Poverty in the United States: 1999, cited above.
Low earnings.
The low earnings level, as first developed in 1987, represented the average of the real value of the minimum wage between 1967 and 1987 for a 40-hour workweek. The base year of 1967 was chosen because that was the first year in which minimum-wage legislation covered essentially the same broad group of workers who currently are covered. The low earnings level has subsequently been adjusted each year using the CPI-U, so that the measure maintains the same real value that it held in 1987. In 1999, the low earnings threshold was $245.21 per week. For a more complete definition, see Bruce W. Klein and Philip L. Rones, "A profile of the working poor," Monthly Labor Review, October 1989, pp. 3-13.
Income.
Data on income are limited to money income received in the calendar year preceding the March survey date, before personal income taxes and payroll deductions. They do not include the value of noncash benefits such as Food Stamps, medicare, medicaid, public housing, and employer-provided benefits. For a complete definition of the income concept, see Poverty in the United States: 1999, cited above.
In the labor force.
Persons in the labor force are those who worked or looked for work sometime during the calendar year preceding the March survey date. The number of weeks in the labor force is accumulated over the entire year. The focus in this report is on persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
Involuntary part-time workers.
These are persons who, in at least 1 week of the year, worked fewer than 35 hours because of slack work or business conditions, or because they could not find full-time work. The number of weeks of involuntary part-time work is accumulated over the year.
Occupation.
Refers to the occupation in which a person worked the most weeks during the calendar year.
Unemployed.
Unemployed persons are those who looked for work while not employed or those who were on layoff from a job and expecting recall. The number of weeks unemployed is accumulated over the entire year.
Family.
A family is defined as a group of two or more persons residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. Persons in related subfamilies-married couples or parent-child groups sharing the living quarters of another family member-are included as members of that family and are not distinct family units. The count of families used in this report does not include unrelated subfamilies, such as lodgers, guests, or resident employees living in a household but not related to the householder (the person in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented). Families are classified either as married-couple families or as those maintained by men or women without spouses present. Family status is determined at the time of the March interview, and thus may be different from that of the previous year.
Unrelated individuals.
These are persons who are not living with any relatives. Such individuals may be living alone, reside in a nonrelated family household, or live in group quarters with other unrelated individuals.
Related children.
Data on related children refer to own children (including sons, daughters, and step- or adopted children) of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family and all other children related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption.
Race.
White, black, and "other" are terms used to describe the race of workers. Included in the "other" group are American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Asians and Pacific Islanders. Because of the relatively small sample size, data for this group are not separately tabulated or published.
Hispanic origin.
This term refers to persons who identify themselves in the CPS enumeration process as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or of some other Hispanic origin or descent. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; thus, they also are included in both the white and black population groups.
Thomas M. Beers, formerly an economist in the Division of Labor Force Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, prepared this report.
Table 1. Persons in the labor force: Poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 1999
(Numbers in thousands)
27 weeks or more in the labor force
Poverty status and work experience Total in the labor
force
Total 50 to 52 weeks
TOTAL
Total in labor force.................................... 149,042 133,651 119,376
Did not work during the year.......................... 1,503 547 476
Worked during the year................................ 147,539 133,104 118,901
Usual full-time workers............................. 118,368 111,992 103,620
Usual part-time workers............................. 29,171 21,111 15,281
Involuntary part-time workers..................... 3,717 2,956 2,333
Voluntary part-time workers....................... 25,454 18,155 12,947
At or above poverty level
Total in labor force.................................... 139,376 126,855 113,989
Did not work during the year.......................... 940 311 273
Worked during the year................................ 138,436 126,544 113,716
Usual full-time workers............................. 112,692 107,644 100,073
Usual part-time workers............................. 25,744 18,900 13,643
Involuntary part-time workers..................... 2,854 2,333 1,830
Voluntary part-time workers....................... 22,890 16,568 11,813
Below poverty level
Total in labor force.................................... 9,666 6,796 5,387
Did not work during the year.......................... 563 236 202
Worked during the year................................ 9,103 6,559 5,185
Usual full-time workers............................. 5,676 4,348 3,547
Usual part-time workers............................. 3,427 2,211 1,638
Involuntary part-time workers..................... 863 624 504
Voluntary part-time workers....................... 2,564 1,587 1,134
Poverty rate(1)
Total in labor force.................................... 6.5 5.1 4.5
Did not work during the year.......................... 37.5 43.2 42.5
Worked during the year................................ 6.2 4.9 4.4
Usual full-time workers............................. 4.8 3.9 3.4
Usual part-time workers............................. 11.7 10.5 10.7
Involuntary part-time workers..................... 23.2 21.1 21.6
Voluntary part-time workers....................... 10.1 8.7 8.8
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and older. Data for 1999, which were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the
Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years because of the introduction in
January 2000 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current
Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 2. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 1999
(Numbers in thousands)
Below poverty level Poverty rate(1)
Hispanic
Age and sex Total White Black origin
Total White Black Hispanic Total White Black Hispanic
origin origin
Total, 16 years and older... 133,651 111,714 15,698 13,971 6,796 4,830 1,596 1,496 5.1 4.3 10.2 10.7
16 to 19 years.................. 5,207 4,405 596 622 527 365 127 93 10.1 8.3 21.4 15.0
20 to 24 years.................. 12,412 10,240 1,675 1,866 1,312 894 367 253 10.6 8.7 21.9 13.6
25 to 34 years.................. 30,695 24,839 4,096 4,178 1,835 1,290 433 486 6.0 5.2 10.6 11.6
35 to 44 years.................. 36,945 30,612 4,564 3,917 1,726 1,246 387 417 4.7 4.1 8.5 10.7
45 to 54 years.................. 29,965 25,468 3,158 2,255 851 631 165 167 2.8 2.5 5.2 7.4
55 to 64 years.................. 14,066 12,240 1,271 938 419 313 89 64 3.0 2.6 7.0 6.8
65 years and older.............. 4,361 3,909 338 195 127 91 27 15 2.9 2.3 8.0 7.7
Men, 16 years and older..... 71,790 61,163 7,260 8,267 3,165 2,526 447 898 4.4 4.1 6.2 10.9
16 to 19 years.................. 2,700 2,312 264 383 234 183 29 60 8.7 7.9 10.9 15.6
20 to 24 years.................. 6,488 5,487 741 1,152 575 438 115 156 8.9 8.0 15.5 13.5
25 to 34 years.................. 16,728 13,865 1,899 2,558 852 707 93 315 5.1 5.1 4.9 12.3
35 to 44 years.................. 19,949 16,877 2,153 2,254 833 674 119 243 4.2 4.0 5.5 10.8
45 to 54 years.................. 15,764 13,594 1,455 1,253 402 311 52 91 2.5 2.3 3.5 7.3
55 to 64 years.................. 7,595 6,704 582 546 200 159 30 28 2.6 2.4 5.2 5.1
65 years and older.............. 2,566 2,325 166 122 69 53 10 6 2.7 2.3 5.8 4.9
Women, 16 years and older... 61,861 50,551 8,438 5,704 3,631 2,303 1,149 598 5.9 4.6 13.6 10.5
16 to 19 years.................. 2,507 2,093 332 239 293 181 99 34 11.7 8.7 29.7 14.1
20 to 24 years.................. 5,924 4,753 934 714 737 456 252 98 12.4 9.6 27.0 13.7
25 to 34 years.................. 13,967 10,975 2,197 1,620 983 582 340 172 7.0 5.3 15.5 10.6
35 to 44 years.................. 16,996 13,735 2,411 1,663 893 571 269 174 5.3 4.2 11.1 10.5
45 to 54 years.................. 14,201 11,874 1,703 1,002 450 320 114 76 3.2 2.7 6.7 7.6
55 to 64 years.................. 6,472 5,537 689 393 219 154 58 36 3.4 2.8 8.5 9.2
65 years and older.............. 1,795 1,584 172 73 57 38 17 9 3.2 2.4 10.1 (2)
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.
NOTE: Detail for race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not
presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Data for 1999, which were collected in
the March 2000 supplement to the Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years
because of the introduction in January 2000 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional information,
see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of Employment and
Earnings.
Table 3. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by educational attainment, race, and sex, 1999
(Numbers in thousands)
Below poverty level
Poverty rate(1)
Educational attainment and race
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Total, 16 years and older................
133,651
71,790
61,861
6,796
3,165
3,631
5.1
4.4
5.9
Less than a high school diploma..............
15,991
9,728
6,263
2,287
1,257
1,030
14.3
12.9
16.4
Less than 1 year of high school............
4,589
2,999
1,591
701
446
255
15.3
14.9
16.1
1-3 years of high school...................
9,914
5,861
4,054
1,412
720
692
14.2
12.3
17.1
4 years of high school, no diploma.........
1,487
868
619
174
91
83
11.7
10.5
13.3
High school graduates, no college............
42,601
22,904
19,697
2,535
1,042
1,493
6.0
4.6
7.6
Some college, no degree......................
27,294
13,840
13,454
1,192
486
706
4.4
3.5
5.2
Associate degree.............................
11,146
5,334
5,812
319
122
196
2.9
2.3
3.4
College graduates............................
36,619
19,984 16,635
463
257
206
1.3
1.3
1.2
White, 16 years and older..............
111,714
61,163
50,551
4,830
2,526
2,303
4.3
4.1
4.6
Less than a high school diploma..............
13,046
8,160
4,887
1,650
1,019
632
12.6
12.5
12.9
Less than 1 year of high school............
3,967
2,660
1,307
592
410
182
14.9
15.4
13.9
1-3 years of high school...................
7,954
4,822
3,132
944
545
399
11.9
11.3
12.8
4 years of high school, no diploma.........
1,126
678
448
114
64
50
10.1
9.4
11.3
High school graduates, no college............
35,536
19,448
16,088
1,758
816
942
4.9
4.2
5.9
Some college, no degree......................
22,412
11,605
10,807
844
377
467
3.8
3.2
4.3
Associate degree.............................
9,507
4,646
4,861
213
93
119
2.2
2.0
2.5
College graduates............................
31,213
17,304
13,908
365
222
143
1.2
1.3
1.0
Black, 16 years and older..............
15,698
7,260
8,438
1,596
447
1,149
10.2
6.2
13.6
Less than a high school diploma..............
2,206
1,126
1,080
517
168
349
23.4
14.9
32.3
Less than 1 year of high school............
365
213
151
74
17
57
20.2
7.8
37.7
1-3 years of high school...................
1,585
785
800
399
134
264
25.2
17.1
33.0
4 years of high school, no diploma.........
257
128
128
44
17
27
17.3
13.5
21.1
High school graduates, no college............
5,632
2,733
2,899
668
177
491
11.9
6.5
17.0
Some college, no degree......................
3,790
1,644
2,146
276
71
205
7.3
4.3
9.6
Associate degree.............................
1,172
457
715
81
14
67
6.9
3.1
9.4
College graduates............................
2,898
1,299
1,598
54
17
37
1.9
1.3
2.3
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
NOTE: Data for 1999, which were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the Current Population Survey, are not
strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2000 of revised
population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current Population
Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 4. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year: Poverty status by occupation of
longest job held, race, and sex, 1999
(Numbers in thousands)
Below poverty level
Poverty rate(1)
Occupation and race
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Total, 16 years and older(2)...............
133,104
71,451
61,652
6,559
3,017
3,543
4.9
4.2
5.7
Managerial and professional specialty..........
39,908
20,235
19,674
611
289
322
1.5
1.4
1.6
Executive, administrative, and managerial....
19,857
10,917
8,940
339
182
157
1.7
1.7
1.8
Professional specialty.......................
20,051
9,318
10,734
272
107
165
1.4
1.1
1.5
Technical, sales, and administrative support...
38,875
13,879
24,996
1,610
387
1,222
4.1
2.8
4.9
Technicians and related support..............
4,495
2,076
2,419
79
43
36
1.8
2.1
1.5
Sales occupations............................
15,969
8,069
7,900
955
249
705
6.0
3.1
8.9
Administrative support, including clerical...
18,411
3,735
14,676
576
95
482
3.1
2.5
3.3
Service occupations............................
17,928
7,335
10,593
1,937
570
1,367
10.8
7.8
12.9
Private household............................
848
46
803
199
9
190
23.4
(3)
23.6
Protective service...........................
2,381
1,964
417
76
47
29
3.2
2.4
6.9
Service, except private household and
protective..................................
14,699
5,325
9,374
1,662
514
1,148
11.3
9.6
12.3
Precision production, craft, and repair........
14,543
13,155
1,388
621
537
85
4.3
4.1
6.1
Operators, fabricators, and laborers...........
18,418
14,090
4,328
1,263
830
432
6.9
5.9
10.0
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors
7,524
4,811
2,714
483
235
248
6.4
4.9
9.1
Transportation and material moving
occupations.................................
5,638
5,059
579
278
228
50
4.9
4.5
8.6
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers....................................
5,256
4,221
1,036
502
367
135
9.5
8.7
13.0
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................
3,294
2,642
652
518
404
114
15.7
15.3
17.4
White, 16 years and older(2).............
111,384
60,949
50,435
4,705
2,438
2,267
4.2
4.0
4.5
Managerial and professional specialty..........
34,291
17,754
16,537
494
257
236
1.4
1.4
1.4
Executive, administrative, and managerial....
17,311
9,805
7,505
283
164
118
1.6
1.7
1.6
Professional specialty.......................
16,980
7,948
9,032
211
93
118
1.2
1.2
1.3
Technical, sales, and administrative support...
32,774
11,922
20,852
1,061
318
743
3.2
2.7
3.6
Technicians and related support..............
3,738
1,743
1,995
63
43
20
1.7
2.5
1.0
Sales occupations............................
13,892
7,241
6,651
618
206
412
4.4
2.8
6.2
Administrative support, including clerical...
15,144
2,939
12,206
380
68
311
2.5
2.3
2.6
Service occupations............................
13,613
5,636
7,977
1,266
403
863
9.3
7.1
10.8
Private household............................
634
29
605
133
3
130
21.0
(3)
21.5
Protective service...........................
1,805
1,544
261
34
20
14
1.9
1.3
5.5
Service, except private household and
protective..................................
11,173
4,062
7,112
1,098
380
719
9.8
9.4
10.1
Precision production, craft, and repair........
12,845
11,689
1,157
522
460
62
4.1
3.9
5.4
Operators, fabricators, and laborers...........
14,654
11,381
3,274
888
634
254
6.1
5.6
7.8
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors
5,971
3,919
2,052
325
174
151
5.4
4.4
7.4
Transportation and material moving
occupations.................................
4,551
4,108
443
209
180
29
4.6
4.4
6.5
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers....................................
4,132
3,353
779
354
280
74
8.6
8.3
9.5
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................
3,098
2,475
623
473
365
108
15.3
14.8
17.3
Black, 16 years and older(2).............
15,528
7,165
8,363
1,502
402
1,100
9.7
5.6
13.1
Managerial and professional specialty..........
3,352
1,270
2,082
76
17
59
2.3
1.4
2.8
Executive, administrative, and managerial....
1,547
620
927
35
7
28
2.3
1.1
3.1
Professional specialty.......................
1,805
650
1,155
40
10
30
2.2
1.6
2.6
Technical, sales, and administrative support...
4,401
1,219
3,182
457
39
419
10.4
3.2
13.2
Technicians and related support..............
495
181
314
12
0
12
2.3
0.0
3.7
Sales occupations............................
1,374
484
889
282
19
263
20.5
4.0
29.5
Administrative support, including clerical...
2,532
553
1,979
164
20
145
6.5
3.5
7.3
Service occupations............................
3,415
1,280
2,135
577
126
451
16.9
9.8
21.1
Private household............................
156
8
147
58
6
52
37.2
(3)
35.2
Protective service...........................
508
360
148
38
24
14
7.4
6.5
9.5
Service, except private household and
protective..................................
2,751
912
1,839
481
96
385
17.5
10.6
20.9
Precision production, craft, and repair........
1,273
1,116
157
65
46
19
5.1
4.1
11.9
Operators, fabricators, and laborers...........
2,930
2,144
785
292
144
147
10.0
6.7
18.8
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors
1,113
648
465
126
48
79
11.3
7.3
16.9
Transportation and material moving
occupations.................................
925
802
122
54
33
21
5.9
4.1
17.3
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers....................................
892
694
198
111
64
48
12.5
9.2
24.0
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................
132
117
15
35
30
5
26.9
25.6
(3)
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force who worked during the year.
2 Includes a small number of persons whose last job was in the Armed Forces.
3 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.
NOTE: Data for 1999, which were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the Current Population Survey, are not
strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2000 of revised
population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current Population
Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 5. Persons in families and unrelated individuals: Poverty status and work experience, 1999
(Numbers in thousands)
In married-couple families
In families maintained In families maintained
by women
by men
Unre-
Poverty status and work
Total
lated
experience
persons
indi-
Hus-
Related Other House- Related Other House- Related Other vi-
bands
Wives children rela- holder children rela- holder children rela- duals
under 18 tives under 18 tives under 18 tives
TOTAL
All persons(1)........... 209,067 54,714 55,247 5,475 17,180 12,669 1,760 9,763 4,003 429 3,832 43,996
With labor force activity.... 149,042 43,850 36,715 2,576 12,719 9,370 767 6,712 3,224 168 2,740 30,200
1 to 26 weeks.............. 15,391 1,574 3,774 1,560 3,001 941 498 1,104 194 82 308 2,355
27 weeks or more........... 133,651 42,276 32,941 1,016 9,718 8,429 269 5,607 3,030 87 2,432 27,845
With no labor force activity. 60,025 10,864 18,532 2,900 4,461 3,298 993 3,051 779 261 1,091 13,796
At or above poverty level
All persons(1)........... 187,707 52,059 52,575 5,063 16,402 9,144 1,218 8,289 3,531 371 3,548 35,508
With labor force activity.... 139,376 42,304 35,842 2,488 12,414 7,153 608 6,087 2,944 152 2,614 26,770
1 to 26 weeks.............. 12,521 1,396 3,493 1,513 2,896 342 380 856 124 73 252 1,197
27 weeks or more........... 126,855 40,909 32,349 975 9,519 6,811 228 5,231 2,820 79 2,362 25,573
With no labor force activity. 48,331 9,754 16,733 2,575 3,987 1,991 610 2,202 588 219 934 8,738
Below poverty level
All persons(1)........... 21,360 2,655 2,672 413 778 3,525 542 1,474 472 58 284 8,488
With labor force activity.... 9,666 1,546 873 88 305 2,218 159 625 280 16 126 3,430
1 to 26 weeks.............. 2,871 179 282 47 105 599 118 248 70 9 56 1,159
27 weeks or more........... 6,796 1,367 592 41 200 1,618 41 377 211 7 69 2,272
With no labor force activity. 11,694 1,110 1,798 325 474 1,307 383 849 191 42 158 5,058
Poverty rate(2)
All persons(1)........... 10.2 4.9 4.8 7.5 4.5 27.8 30.8 15.1 11.8 13.5 7.4 19.3
With labor force activity.... 6.5 3.5 2.4 3.4 2.4 23.7 20.7 9.3 8.7 9.5 4.6 11.4
1 to 26 weeks.............. 18.7 11.3 7.5 3.0 3.5 63.7 23.7 22.5 35.9 10.6 18.3 49.2
27 weeks or more........... 5.1 3.2 1.8 4.1 2.1 19.2 15.3 6.7 7.0 8.4 2.9 8.2
With no labor force activity. 19.5 10.2 9.7 11.2 10.6 39.6 38.6 27.8 24.6 16.1 14.5 36.7
1 Data on families include persons in primary families and unrelated subfamilies.
2 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and older. Data for 1999, which were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the
Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years because of the introduction in
January 2000 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current
Population Survey Effective January in the February 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 6. Primary families: Poverty status, presence of related children, and work experience of family members in the
labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1999
(Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic At or above Below poverty Poverty
Total families poverty level level rate(1)
Total primary families............................ 60,454 56,699 3,755 6.2
With related children under 18............................ 34,542 31,337 3,205 9.3
Without children.......................................... 25,912 25,362 550 2.1
With one member in the labor force........................ 24,649 21,506 3,143 12.8
With two or more members in the labor force............... 35,805 35,193 612 1.7
With two members........................................ 29,970 29,421 550 1.8
With three or more members.............................. 5,835 5,772 62 1.1
Married-couple families:
With related children under 18.......................... 25,658 24,314 1,343 5.2
Without children........................................ 21,158 20,845 313 1.5
With one member in the labor force...................... 15,285 14,083 1,202 7.9
Husband............................................... 11,413 10,476 937 8.2
Wife.................................................. 3,175 2,967 207 6.5
Relative.............................................. 698 639 58 8.4
With two or more members in the labor force............. 31,530 31,076 454 1.4
With two members...................................... 26,518 26,112 406 1.5
With three or more members............................ 5,012 4,964 48 1.0
Families maintained by women:
With related children under 18.......................... 6,920 5,269 1,651 23.9
Without children........................................ 3,154 2,973 181 5.7
With one member in the labor force...................... 7,189 5,498 1,691 23.5
Householder........................................... 5,870 4,380 1,490 25.4
Relative.............................................. 1,319 1,118 201 15.2
With two or more members in the labor force............. 2,885 2,744 141 4.9
Families maintained by men:
With related children under 18.......................... 1,965 1,754 211 10.7
Without children........................................ 1,600 1,543 56 3.5
With one member in the labor force...................... 2,175 1,925 250 11.5
Householder........................................... 1,795 1,602 193 10.8
Relative.............................................. 380 323 57 14.9
With two or more members in the labor force............. 1,390 1,372 18 1.3
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
NOTE: Data relate to primary families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. Data for
1999, which were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable
with data for 1998 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2000 of revised population controls used
in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 2000 in
the February 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex,
race, Hispanic origin, and living arrangement, 1999
(Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic Total At or above Below poverty Poverty
poverty level level rate(1)
Age and sex
Total unrelated individuals...... 27,845 25,573 2,272 8.2
16 to 19 years.......................... 621 400 221 35.6
20 to 24 years.......................... 3,608 2,986 622 17.2
25 to 64 years.......................... 22,435 21,069 1,367 6.1
65 years and older...................... 1,180 1,118 62 5.3
Men..................................... 15,362 14,214 1,148 7.5
Women................................... 12,483 11,360 1,124 9.0
Race and Hispanic origin
White................................... 23,069 21,258 1,811 7.8
Men.................................. 12,777 11,823 955 7.5
Women................................ 10,291 9,435 856 8.3
Black................................... 3,642 3,262 381 10.5
Men.................................. 1,930 1,775 155 8.0
Women................................ 1,713 1,487 226 13.2
Hispanic origin......................... 2,283 1,998 286 12.5
Men.................................. 1,521 1,349 172 11.3
Women................................ 762 649 113 14.9
Living arrangement
Living alone............................ 14,765 13,969 796 5.4
Living with others...................... 13,080 11,604 1,476 11.3
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or
more.
NOTE: Detail for race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the
"other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black
population groups. Data for 1999, which were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the Current
Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years because of the
introduction in January 2000 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional
information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February
2000 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 8. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status and labor market problems of full-time
wage and salary workers, 1999
(Numbers in thousands)
At or above Below Poverty
Poverty status and labor market problems Total poverty poverty rate(1)
level level
Total, full-time wage and salary workers................. 104,968 101,369 3,599 3.4
No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low
earnings(2)................................................ 86,868 86,262 606 .7
Unemployment only............................................. 5,320 4,907 413 7.8
Involuntary part-time employment only......................... 2,025 1,983 42 2.1
Low earnings only............................................. 7,444 5,939 1,505 20.2
Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment............. 883 800 83 9.4
Unemployment and low earnings................................. 1,426 820 606 42.5
Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings............. 623 435 189 30.3
Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low
earnings................................................... 377 222 155 41.1
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more
2 The low earnings threshold in 1999 was $245.21 per week.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and older. Data for 1999, which were collected in the March 2000
supplement to the Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years
because of the introduction in January 2000 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional
information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of
Employment and Earnings.
United States Department of Labor
