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In 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 40.6 million people, or 12.7 percent of the nation’s population, lived below the poverty level.1 (See the technical notes section for examples of poverty levels.) Although the poor were primarily children and adults who had not participated in the labor force during the year, 7.6 million individuals were among the “working poor” in 2016, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; this measure was down from 2015. The working poor are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force (that is, working or looking for work) but whose incomes still fell below the poverty level. In 2016, the working-poor rate—the ratio of the working poor to all individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks—was 4.9 percent, down 0.7 percentage point from the previous year. (See table A, chart 1, and table 1.)
Full-time workers continued to be much less likely to be among the working poor than were part-time workers. Among people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 3.1 percent of those usually employed full time were classified as working poor, compared with 12.2 percent of part-time workers (table 1).
Women were more likely than men to be among the working poor. In addition, Blacks or African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos2 continued to be about twice as likely as Whites and Asians to be among the working poor. (See table 2 and chart 2.)
The likelihood of being classified as working poor diminishes as workers attain higher levels of education. Among those with less than a high school diploma, 13.7 percent of those who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks were classified as working poor, compared with 1.4 percent of college graduates. (See table 3.)
Individuals who were employed in service occupations continued to be more likely to be among the working poor than those employed in other major occupational groups. (See table 4.)
Among families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, those with children under 18 years old were about 5 times as likely as those without children to live in poverty. Families maintained by women were twice as likely as families maintained by men to be living below the poverty level. (See table 5.)
Characteristic | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total in the labor force1 | 146,567 | 147,838 | 147,902 | 146,859 | 147,475 | 148,735 | 149,483 | 150,319 | 152,230 | 153,364 |
In poverty | 7,521 | 8,883 | 10,391 | 10,512 | 10,382 | 10,612 | 10,450 | 9,487 | 8,560 | 7,572 |
Working-poor rate | 5.1 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 4.9 |
Unrelated individuals | 33,226 | 32,785 | 33,798 | 34,099 | 33,731 | 34,810 | 35,061 | 35,018 | 35,953 | 35,789 |
In poverty | 2,558 | 3,275 | 3,947 | 3,947 | 3,621 | 3,851 | 4,141 | 3,395 | 3,137 | 2,792 |
Working-poor rate | 7.7 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 11.6 | 10.7 | 11.1 | 11.8 | 9.7 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
Primary families2 | 65,158 | 65,907 | 65,467 | 64,931 | 66,225 | 66,541 | 66,462 | 66,732 | 67,193 | 67,628 |
In poverty | 4,169 | 4,538 | 5,193 | 5,269 | 5,469 | 5,478 | 5,137 | 5,108 | 4,607 | 4,082 |
Working-poor rate | 6.4 | 6.9 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 6.9 | 6.0 |
1 Includes individuals in families, not shown separately. 2 Primary families with at least one member in the labor force for more than half the year. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). |
This report presents data on the relationship between labor force activity and poverty status in 2016 for workers and their families. These data were collected in the 2017 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey. (For a detailed description of the source of the data and an explanation of the concepts and definitions used in this report, see the technical notes.) The specific income thresholds used to determine people’s poverty status vary, depending on whether the individuals are living with family members or are living alone or with nonrelatives. For family members, the poverty threshold is determined by their family’s total income; for individuals not living in families, their personal income is used as the determinant.
Among those who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2016, the number of women classified as working poor (4.1 million) was higher than that of men (3.4 million). The working-poor rate also continued to be higher for women, at 5.8 percent, than for men, at 4.2 percent, (table 2). The working-poor rates for both women and men were down from a year earlier.
Blacks and Hispanics were about twice as likely as Whites and Asians to be among the working poor. In 2016, the working-poor rates of Blacks and Hispanics were 8.7 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively, compared with 4.3 percent for Whites and 3.5 percent for Asians (table 2).
Among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, the working-poor rate was higher for women than for men. The rates for White women and men who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force were 4.9 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively. The rate for Black women was 10.5 percent, compared with 6.7 percent for Black men. The working-poor rate for Hispanic women was 9.6 percent, while that of Hispanic men stood at 7.8 percent. Among Asians, the rates for women and men were little different from each other: 4.0 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively (table 2 and chart 2).
Young workers are more likely to be below the poverty level than are workers in older age groups, in part because earnings are lower for young workers and the unemployment rate for young workers is higher. The working-poor rate of employed youths 20 to 24 years old was 8.7 percent in 2016, considerably higher than the rates for workers ages 35 to 44 (5.6 percent) and 55 to 64 (2.8 percent). Workers age 65 and older had a working-poor rate of 1.5 percent (table 2).
Achieving higher levels of education reduces the incidence of living in poverty. Individuals who complete more years of education usually have greater access to higher paying jobs—such as management, professional, and related occupations—than those with fewer years of education. Of all the people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2016, those with less than a high school diploma had a working-poor rate (13.7 percent) nearly twice that of high school graduates with no college (6.9 percent). Workers with some college or an associate’s degree and those with a bachelor’s degree or higher had the lowest working-poor rates (5.1 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively). In 2016, at all levels of educational attainment, women were more likely than men to be among the working poor. Blacks and Hispanics with a bachelor’s degree or higher were about twice as likely as Whites and Asians with the same educational attainment to be among the working poor (table 3).
The likelihood of being among the working poor varies widely by occupation. Workers in occupations requiring higher education and characterized by relatively high earnings—such as management, professional, and related occupations—were least likely to be classified as working poor, at 1.6 percent in 2016. By contrast, individuals employed in service occupations, which typically do not require high levels of education and are characterized by relatively low earnings, were more likely to be among the working poor, at 10.7 percent. Individuals employed in service occupations, with 2.8 million working poor, accounted for 39 percent of all those classified as workers below the poverty level (7.1 million). Among those employed in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations, 5.7 percent were classified as working poor (table 4).
In 2016, 4.1 million families were living below the poverty level despite having at least one member in the labor force for half the year or more. This figure is down from 4.6 million in 2015. Married-couple families with only one member in the labor force in 2016 were less likely to be living below the poverty level, at 7.7 percent, than were families maintained by men, at 11.6 percent, and maintained by women, at 21.5 percent (table 5).
Among families, those with children in the household were much more likely to live below the poverty level, (9.7 percent) than those without children (2.2 percent). Families maintained by women with children had a working-poor rate of 22.8 percent, more than double that of families maintained by men with children, at 11.2 percent. Both of these rates were higher than that for married-couple families with children (5.3 percent).
The “unrelated individuals” category includes individuals who live by themselves or with others not related to them. Of the 35.8 million unrelated individuals who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2.8 million lived below the poverty level in 2016, down from 3.1 million a year earlier. The working-poor rate for unrelated individuals was 7.8 percent, a decrease of 0.9 percentage point from last year’s figure. (See table 6.)
Within the group of unrelated individuals, teenagers (those ages 16 to 19) continued to be the most likely to be among the working poor, at 38.2 percent, followed by those ages 20 to 24, at 15.6 percent, in 2016. Overall, the working-poor rate for men living alone or with nonrelatives was 6.8 percent, and the rate for women was 9.0 percent. The working-poor rates for unrelated individuals were higher for Blacks and Hispanics (11.4 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively) than for Whites (7.1 percent) and Asians (5.6 percent). (See table 7.)
Of the 2.8 million unrelated individuals considered to be among the working poor in 2016, 3 out of 5 lived with others. These individuals had a much higher working-poor rate, at 9.6 percent, than individuals who lived alone (6.1 percent). Many unrelated individuals living below the poverty level may live with others out of necessity. Conversely, many of those who live alone may do so because they have sufficient income to support themselves. Unrelated individuals’ poverty status, however, is determined by each person’s resources. The pooling of resources and sharing of living expenses may permit some individuals in this category—who are technically classified as poor—to live at a higher standard than they would have if they lived alone.
Even though people who usually work full time are less likely to live in poverty, there were still 3.4 million (or 2.9 percent) full-time wage and salary workers who were classified as working poor in 2016—down from 3.8 million a year earlier. (See table 8.)
There are three major labor market problems that can hinder a worker’s ability to earn an income above the poverty threshold: periods of unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings. (See the technical notes for detailed definitions.)
In 2016, 81 percent of the working poor who usually work full time experienced at least one of the major labor market problems mentioned above. Low earnings continued to be the most common problem among workers experiencing only one labor market problem, at 77 percent, followed by unemployment (21 percent). Among workers experiencing multiple labor market problems, those who experienced unemployment and low earnings had the highest rate below poverty level, at 35.7 percent (table 8).
Some 659,000, or 19 percent, of the working poor who usually worked full time did not experience any of the three primary labor market problems in 2016. 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.
1Income and Poverty in the United States: 2016, Current Population Reports, P60-259 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2017), table 3, https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2017/demo/P60-259.pdf
2 People of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.
Poverty status and work experience | Total in labor force | 27 weeks or more in labor force | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 50 to 52 weeks | ||
Total |
|||
Total in the labor force |
166,221 | 153,364 | 140,137 |
Did not work during the year |
2,583 | 1,199 | 983 |
Worked during the year |
163,638 | 152,165 | 139,153 |
Usual full-time workers |
130,560 | 126,083 | 118,837 |
Usual part-time workers |
33,078 | 26,082 | 20,317 |
Involuntary part-time workers |
7,240 | 6,321 | 5,242 |
Voluntary part-time workers |
25,838 | 19,761 | 15,075 |
At or above poverty level |
|||
Total in the labor force |
156,199 | 145,792 | 133,857 |
Did not work during the year |
1,663 | 732 | 582 |
Worked during the year |
154,536 | 145,060 | 133,275 |
Usual full-time workers |
125,793 | 122,157 | 115,476 |
Usual part-time workers |
28,743 | 22,903 | 17,799 |
Involuntary part-time workers |
5,648 | 4,990 | 4,121 |
Voluntary part-time workers |
23,096 | 17,913 | 13,677 |
Below poverty level |
|||
Total in the labor force |
10,021 | 7,572 | 6,280 |
Did not work during the year |
920 | 466 | 401 |
Worked during the year |
9,101 | 7,105 | 5,878 |
Usual full-time workers |
4,767 | 3,926 | 3,361 |
Usual part-time workers |
4,335 | 3,179 | 2,518 |
Involuntary part-time workers |
1,592 | 1,331 | 1,120 |
Voluntary part-time workers |
2,742 | 1,848 | 1,397 |
Rate¹ |
|||
Total in the labor force |
6.0 | 4.9 | 4.5 |
Did not work during the year |
35.6 | 38.9 | 40.8 |
Worked during the year |
5.6 | 4.7 | 4.2 |
Usual full-time workers |
3.7 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
Usual part-time workers |
13.1 | 12.2 | 12.4 |
Involuntary part-time workers |
22.0 | 21.1 | 21.4 |
Voluntary part-time workers |
10.6 | 9.4 | 9.3 |
¹ Number below the poverty level as a percentage of the total in the labor force. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). |
Age and gender | Total | Below poverty level | Rate¹ | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino | Total | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino | Total | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino | ||
Total, 16 years and older |
153,364 | 120,202 | 18,864 | 9,418 | 25,673 | 7,572 | 5,222 | 1,649 | 330 | 2,192 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 8.7 | 3.5 | 8.5 | |
16 to 19 years |
3,471 | 2,704 | 431 | 108 | 673 | 355 | 249 | 76 | 10 | 98 | 10.2 | 9.2 | 17.6 | 9.1 | 14.5 | |
20 to 24 years |
13,310 | 10,145 | 1,901 | 582 | 2,989 | 1,156 | 779 | 247 | 43 | 272 | 8.7 | 7.7 | 13.0 | 7.5 | 9.1 | |
25 to 34 years |
34,828 | 26,280 | 4,779 | 2,374 | 6,907 | 2,204 | 1,441 | 540 | 91 | 669 | 6.3 | 5.5 | 11.3 | 3.8 | 9.7 | |
35 to 44 years |
31,930 | 24,345 | 4,136 | 2,373 | 6,290 | 1,783 | 1,257 | 391 | 62 | 651 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 9.4 | 2.6 | 10.4 | |
45 to 54 years |
33,012 | 26,115 | 3,967 | 2,128 | 5,126 | 1,180 | 847 | 207 | 85 | 334 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 6.5 | |
55 to 64 years |
26,862 | 22,125 | 2,757 | 1,445 | 2,895 | 745 | 547 | 152 | 31 | 137 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 2.1 | 4.7 | |
65 years and older |
9,951 | 8,488 | 894 | 407 | 791 | 149 | 102 | 37 | 9 | 30 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 4.1 | 2.3 | 3.8 | |
Men, 16 years and older |
81,679 | 65,240 | 8,893 | 5,018 | 14,682 | 3,431 | 2,516 | 599 | 156 | 1,139 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 6.7 | 3.1 | 7.8 | |
16 to 19 years |
1,659 | 1,303 | 201 | 49 | 337 | 168 | 121 | 38 | 4 | 51 | 10.1 | 9.3 | 19.1 | - | 15.1 | |
20 to 24 years |
6,916 | 5,356 | 910 | 280 | 1,630 | 458 | 331 | 81 | 13 | 133 | 6.6 | 6.2 | 8.9 | 4.8 | 8.2 | |
25 to 34 years |
18,766 | 14,347 | 2,352 | 1,326 | 4,046 | 998 | 698 | 187 | 50 | 345 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 7.9 | 3.7 | 8.5 | |
35 to 44 years |
17,349 | 13,602 | 1,894 | 1,288 | 3,715 | 839 | 621 | 153 | 33 | 344 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 8.1 | 2.6 | 9.3 | |
45 to 54 years |
17,427 | 14,132 | 1,809 | 1,102 | 2,907 | 544 | 420 | 70 | 36 | 178 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 6.1 | |
55 to 64 years |
13,945 | 11,613 | 1,303 | 752 | 1,606 | 341 | 260 | 56 | 15 | 69 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 4.3 | |
65 years and older |
5,617 | 4,886 | 425 | 222 | 442 | 83 | 65 | 13 | 5 | 19 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 4.2 | |
Women, 16 years and older |
71,685 | 54,962 | 9,971 | 4,400 | 10,991 | 4,140 | 2,707 | 1,050 | 175 | 1,053 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 10.5 | 4.0 | 9.6 | |
16 to 19 years |
1,812 | 1,400 | 229 | 59 | 336 | 187 | 127 | 37 | 6 | 47 | 10.3 | 9.1 | 16.3 | - | 14.0 | |
20 to 24 years |
6,394 | 4,789 | 991 | 302 | 1,360 | 698 | 449 | 165 | 30 | 139 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 16.7 | 9.9 | 10.2 | |
25 to 34 years |
16,062 | 11,932 | 2,427 | 1,049 | 2,862 | 1,206 | 743 | 353 | 41 | 324 | 7.5 | 6.2 | 14.5 | 3.9 | 11.3 | |
35 to 44 years |
14,581 | 10,743 | 2,242 | 1,085 | 2,575 | 943 | 636 | 237 | 28 | 307 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 10.6 | 2.6 | 11.9 | |
45 to 54 years |
15,585 | 11,983 | 2,158 | 1,026 | 2,219 | 636 | 427 | 137 | 49 | 156 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 6.4 | 4.8 | 7.0 | |
55 to 64 years |
12,917 | 10,511 | 1,454 | 693 | 1,289 | 404 | 288 | 95 | 16 | 69 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 6.6 | 2.3 | 5.3 | |
65 years and older |
4,334 | 3,602 | 469 | 185 | 349 | 66 | 37 | 24 | 4 | 11 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 5.1 | 2.3 | 3.2 | |
¹ Number below the poverty level as a percentage of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). |
Educational attainment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity | Total | Men | Women | Below poverty level | Rate¹ | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||||
Total, 16 years and older |
153,364 | 81,679 | 71,685 | 7,572 | 3,431 | 4,140 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 5.8 |
Less than a high school diploma |
12,094 | 7,586 | 4,507 | 1,651 | 875 | 777 | 13.7 | 11.5 | 17.2 |
Less than 1 year of high school |
3,895 | 2,613 | 1,282 | 532 | 310 | 222 | 13.6 | 11.8 | 17.3 |
1–3 years of high school |
6,366 | 3,849 | 2,516 | 923 | 481 | 442 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 17.6 |
4 years of high school, no diploma |
1,833 | 1,124 | 710 | 196 | 84 | 113 | 10.7 | 7.5 | 15.9 |
High school graduates, no college² |
40,857 | 23,963 | 16,894 | 2,831 | 1,380 | 1,451 | 6.9 | 5.8 | 8.6 |
Some college or associate's degree |
44,263 | 22,032 | 22,231 | 2,276 | 879 | 1,398 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 6.3 |
Some college, no degree |
27,817 | 14,322 | 13,495 | 1,658 | 657 | 1,000 | 6.0 | 4.6 | 7.4 |
Associate's degree |
16,446 | 7,710 | 8,736 | 619 | 221 | 397 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 4.5 |
Bachelor's degree and higher³ |
56,150 | 28,098 | 28,052 | 813 | 298 | 515 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.8 |
White, 16 years and older |
120,202 | 65,240 | 54,962 | 5,222 | 2,516 | 2,707 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.9 |
Less than a high school diploma |
9,464 | 6,178 | 3,286 | 1,238 | 712 | 527 | 13.1 | 11.5 | 16.0 |
Less than 1 year of high school |
3,216 | 2,225 | 992 | 454 | 283 | 171 | 14.1 | 12.7 | 17.2 |
1–3 years of high school |
4,910 | 3,095 | 1,815 | 645 | 370 | 275 | 13.1 | 12.0 | 15.1 |
4 years of high school, no diploma |
1,338 | 858 | 480 | 139 | 58 | 81 | 10.4 | 6.8 | 16.8 |
High school graduates, no college² |
31,809 | 19,142 | 12,667 | 1,923 | 997 | 926 | 6.0 | 5.2 | 7.3 |
Some college or associate's degree |
34,511 | 17,485 | 17,026 | 1,477 | 585 | 892 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 5.2 |
Some college, no degree |
21,238 | 11,158 | 10,080 | 1,077 | 427 | 650 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 6.4 |
Associate's degree |
13,273 | 6,327 | 6,946 | 400 | 158 | 242 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
Bachelor's degree and higher³ |
44,418 | 22,435 | 21,982 | 585 | 222 | 362 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
Black or African American, 16 years and older |
18,864 | 8,893 | 9,971 | 1,649 | 599 | 1,050 | 8.7 | 6.7 | 10.5 |
Less than a high school diploma |
1,487 | 765 | 722 | 282 | 100 | 182 | 19.0 | 13.1 | 25.2 |
Less than 1 year of high school |
291 | 159 | 132 | 31 | 6 | 25 | 10.7 | 4.0 | 18.9 |
1–3 years of high school |
898 | 442 | 456 | 209 | 77 | 132 | 23.3 | 17.5 | 28.9 |
4 years of high school, no diploma |
298 | 163 | 135 | 42 | 16 | 26 | 14.1 | 9.9 | 19.3 |
High school graduates, no college² |
5,934 | 3,159 | 2,775 | 662 | 256 | 406 | 11.2 | 8.1 | 14.6 |
Some college or associate's degree |
6,393 | 2,837 | 3,556 | 576 | 197 | 379 | 9.0 | 6.9 | 10.7 |
Some college, no degree |
4,313 | 1,950 | 2,364 | 418 | 153 | 265 | 9.7 | 7.8 | 11.2 |
Associate's degree |
2,080 | 888 | 1,192 | 158 | 44 | 114 | 7.6 | 5.0 | 9.5 |
Bachelor's degree and higher³ |
5,049 | 2,132 | 2,917 | 129 | 46 | 83 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.8 |
Asian, 16 years and older |
9,418 | 5,018 | 4,400 | 330 | 156 | 175 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.0 |
Less than a high school diploma |
525 | 267 | 259 | 43 | 21 | 22 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 8.5 |
Less than 1 year of high school |
211 | 103 | 108 | 16 | 4 | 11 | 7.4 | 4.1 | 10.6 |
1–3 years of high school |
207 | 110 | 96 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 7.4 |
4 years of high school, no diploma |
108 | 53 | 55 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 9.3 | - | - |
High school graduates, no college² |
1,701 | 893 | 808 | 111 | 58 | 52 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
Some college or associate's degree |
1,774 | 910 | 864 | 102 | 49 | 53 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 6.2 |
Some college, no degree |
1,160 | 625 | 535 | 77 | 38 | 39 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 7.4 |
Associate's degree |
613 | 285 | 329 | 25 | 11 | 14 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
Bachelor's degree and higher³ |
5,418 | 2,948 | 2,470 | 74 | 27 | 47 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 1.9 |
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older |
25,673 | 14,682 | 10,991 | 2,192 | 1,139 | 1,053 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 9.6 |
Less than a high school diploma |
6,044 | 4,028 | 2,016 | 889 | 516 | 374 | 14.7 | 12.8 | 18.5 |
Less than 1 year of high school |
2,933 | 2,030 | 903 | 439 | 262 | 176 | 15.0 | 12.9 | 19.5 |
1–3 years of high school |
2,396 | 1,529 | 867 | 382 | 221 | 161 | 15.9 | 14.5 | 18.5 |
4 years of high school, no diploma |
714 | 469 | 245 | 69 | 32 | 36 | 9.6 | 6.9 | 14.9 |
High school graduates, no college² |
8,162 | 5,016 | 3,145 | 786 | 421 | 365 | 9.6 | 8.4 | 11.6 |
Some college or associate's degree |
6,890 | 3,440 | 3,450 | 391 | 152 | 239 | 5.7 | 4.4 | 6.9 |
Some college, no degree |
4,742 | 2,417 | 2,324 | 308 | 127 | 180 | 6.5 | 5.3 | 7.8 |
Associate's degree |
2,148 | 1,022 | 1,126 | 84 | 25 | 59 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 5.2 |
Bachelor's degree and higher³ |
4,577 | 2,198 | 2,379 | 126 | 50 | 76 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 3.2 |
¹ Number below the poverty level as a percentage of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. ² Includes people with a high school diploma or equivalent. ³ Includes people with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees. Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). |
Occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity | Total | Men | Women | Below poverty level | Rate¹ | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||||
Total, 16 years and older² |
152,165 | 81,000 | 71,166 | 7,105 | 3,169 | 3,936 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 5.5 |
Management, professional, and related occupations |
60,375 | 29,110 | 31,264 | 943 | 368 | 575 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.8 |
Management, business, and financial operations occupations |
25,619 | 14,181 | 11,438 | 402 | 211 | 191 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.7 |
Professional and related occupations |
34,756 | 14,930 | 19,826 | 541 | 157 | 384 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
Service occupations |
26,177 | 11,437 | 14,741 | 2,800 | 1,000 | 1,800 | 10.7 | 8.7 | 12.2 |
Sales and office occupations |
33,203 | 12,770 | 20,433 | 1,615 | 458 | 1,156 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 5.7 |
Sales and related occupations |
15,553 | 7,739 | 7,814 | 892 | 247 | 645 | 5.7 | 3.2 | 8.3 |
Office and administrative support occupations |
17,650 | 5,031 | 12,619 | 723 | 211 | 511 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations |
14,277 | 13,568 | 709 | 814 | 741 | 73 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 10.3 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
1,195 | 896 | 299 | 117 | 83 | 35 | 9.8 | 9.2 | 11.6 |
Construction and extraction occupations |
8,052 | 7,816 | 235 | 570 | 544 | 26 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 11.0 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
5,030 | 4,855 | 174 | 127 | 115 | 12 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 7.0 |
Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations |
18,063 | 14,053 | 4,010 | 931 | 598 | 332 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 8.3 |
Production occupations |
8,630 | 6,187 | 2,443 | 391 | 228 | 163 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 6.7 |
Transportation and material-moving occupations |
9,433 | 7,866 | 1,567 | 540 | 371 | 169 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 10.8 |
White, 16 years and older² |
119,494 | 64,844 | 54,649 | 4,951 | 2,353 | 2,598 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.8 |
Management, professional, and related occupations |
48,478 | 23,647 | 24,831 | 698 | 299 | 399 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
Management, business, and financial operations occupations |
21,368 | 12,055 | 9,313 | 330 | 183 | 147 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.6 |
Professional and related occupations |
27,110 | 11,592 | 15,518 | 369 | 117 | 252 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
Service occupations |
18,957 | 8,474 | 10,483 | 1,854 | 677 | 1,177 | 9.8 | 8.0 | 11.2 |
Sales and office occupations |
26,020 | 10,142 | 15,878 | 1,063 | 331 | 733 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.6 |
Sales and related occupations |
12,466 | 6,481 | 5,985 | 590 | 193 | 397 | 4.7 | 3.0 | 6.6 |
Office and administrative support occupations |
13,554 | 3,661 | 9,893 | 473 | 137 | 335 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations |
12,410 | 11,796 | 614 | 702 | 642 | 60 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 9.8 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
1,086 | 815 | 272 | 112 | 81 | 31 | 10.3 | 9.9 | 11.4 |
Construction and extraction occupations |
7,037 | 6,838 | 200 | 483 | 461 | 21 | 6.9 | 6.7 | 10.7 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
4,286 | 4,144 | 143 | 108 | 100 | 8 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 5.5 |
Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations |
13,581 | 10,745 | 2,836 | 631 | 400 | 230 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 8.1 |
Production occupations |
6,652 | 4,903 | 1,749 | 278 | 159 | 119 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 6.8 |
Transportation and material-moving occupations |
6,930 | 5,842 | 1,087 | 353 | 242 | 112 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 10.3 |
Black or African American, 16 years and older² |
18,515 | 8,698 | 9,817 | 1,494 | 517 | 977 | 8.1 | 5.9 | 10.0 |
Management, professional, and related occupations |
5,601 | 2,150 | 3,451 | 139 | 38 | 101 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 2.9 |
Management, business, and financial operations occupations |
2,015 | 927 | 1,088 | 42 | 14 | 28 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 2.6 |
Professional and related occupations |
3,587 | 1,223 | 2,364 | 96 | 24 | 72 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 3.1 |
Service occupations |
4,591 | 1,862 | 2,728 | 660 | 194 | 466 | 14.4 | 10.4 | 17.1 |
Sales and office occupations |
4,276 | 1,452 | 2,824 | 405 | 81 | 324 | 9.5 | 5.6 | 11.5 |
Sales and related occupations |
1,741 | 633 | 1,109 | 208 | 26 | 182 | 12.0 | 4.1 | 16.5 |
Office and administrative support occupations |
2,535 | 820 | 1,716 | 196 | 55 | 141 | 7.8 | 6.7 | 8.2 |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations |
1,076 | 1,023 | 53 | 71 | 65 | 5 | 6.6 | 6.4 | - |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
63 | 50 | 13 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
Construction and extraction occupations |
603 | 579 | 25 | 64 | 60 | 5 | 10.6 | 10.3 | - |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
410 | 395 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | - |
Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations |
2,958 | 2,198 | 760 | 220 | 139 | 81 | 7.4 | 6.3 | 10.7 |
Production occupations |
1,176 | 784 | 392 | 80 | 47 | 33 | 6.8 | 6.0 | 8.5 |
Transportation and material-moving occupations |
1,782 | 1,413 | 368 | 140 | 92 | 48 | 7.9 | 6.5 | 13.0 |
Asian, 16 years and older² |
9,330 | 4,966 | 4,364 | 313 | 150 | 162 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.7 |
Management, professional, and related occupations |
4,828 | 2,648 | 2,180 | 67 | 23 | 44 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 2.0 |
Management, business, and financial operations occupations |
1,655 | 927 | 729 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
Professional and related occupations |
3,173 | 1,721 | 1,451 | 48 | 12 | 36 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 2.5 |
Service occupations |
1,516 | 608 | 908 | 135 | 58 | 76 | 8.9 | 9.6 | 8.4 |
Sales and office occupations |
1,783 | 789 | 994 | 64 | 38 | 26 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 2.6 |
Sales and related occupations |
887 | 444 | 443 | 47 | 25 | 21 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 4.8 |
Office and administrative support occupations |
896 | 345 | 551 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 0.8 |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations |
329 | 312 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 3.4 | 2.4 | - |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
9 | 1 | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Construction and extraction occupations |
157 | 155 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | 1.9 | 2.0 | - |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
164 | 156 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4.9 | 2.9 | - |
Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations |
870 | 606 | 264 | 36 | 23 | 13 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.9 |
Production occupations |
507 | 307 | 200 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 3.8 |
Transportation and material-moving occupations |
363 | 299 | 64 | 22 | 16 | 6 | 5.9 | 5.4 | - |
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older² |
25,446 | 14,558 | 10,888 | 2,100 | 1,097 | 1,003 | 8.3 | 7.5 | 9.2 |
Management, professional, and related occupations |
5,569 | 2,569 | 3,000 | 174 | 71 | 103 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 3.4 |
Management, business, and financial operations occupations |
2,429 | 1,285 | 1,143 | 97 | 54 | 42 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.7 |
Professional and related occupations |
3,141 | 1,284 | 1,857 | 77 | 16 | 61 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 3.3 |
Service occupations |
6,264 | 2,928 | 3,336 | 845 | 343 | 501 | 13.5 | 11.7 | 15.0 |
Sales and office occupations |
5,333 | 2,090 | 3,243 | 352 | 113 | 238 | 6.6 | 5.4 | 7.4 |
Sales and related occupations |
2,467 | 1,183 | 1,283 | 195 | 72 | 124 | 7.9 | 6.1 | 9.6 |
Office and administrative support occupations |
2,866 | 907 | 1,960 | 156 | 41 | 115 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 5.9 |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations |
4,308 | 4,047 | 261 | 409 | 373 | 35 | 9.5 | 9.2 | 13.6 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
535 | 382 | 153 | 65 | 43 | 22 | 12.1 | 11.2 | 14.5 |
Construction and extraction occupations |
2,770 | 2,706 | 64 | 279 | 271 | 8 | 10.1 | 10.0 | - |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
1,004 | 959 | 44 | 65 | 60 | 5 | 6.4 | 6.2 | - |
Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations |
3,963 | 2,917 | 1,046 | 320 | 196 | 125 | 8.1 | 6.7 | 11.9 |
Production occupations |
1,970 | 1,280 | 689 | 158 | 90 | 68 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 9.9 |
Transportation and material-moving occupations |
1,993 | 1,636 | 357 | 162 | 106 | 56 | 8.1 | 6.5 | 15.8 |
¹ Number below the poverty level as a percentage of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year. ² Estimates for the occupational groups do not sum to totals because data include the long-term unemployed with no previous work experience and a small number of people whose last job was in the Armed Forces. Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). |
Characteristic | Total families | At or above poverty level | Below poverty level | Rate¹ |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total primary families |
67,628 | 63,546 | 4,082 | 6.0 |
With related children under 18 years |
34,681 | 31,333 | 3,347 | 9.7 |
Without children |
32,947 | 32,213 | 734 | 2.2 |
With one member in the labor force |
29,090 | 25,547 | 3,542 | 12.2 |
With two or more members in the labor force |
38,538 | 37,999 | 539 | 1.4 |
With two members |
32,140 | 31,645 | 495 | 1.5 |
With three or more members |
6,399 | 6,355 | 44 | 0.7 |
Married-couple families² |
49,798 | 48,156 | 1,642 | 3.3 |
With related children under 18 years |
24,224 | 22,941 | 1,283 | 5.3 |
Without children |
25,574 | 25,215 | 359 | 1.4 |
With one member in the labor force |
17,231 | 15,903 | 1,328 | 7.7 |
Husband |
12,160 | 11,176 | 985 | 8.1 |
Wife |
4,303 | 4,030 | 272 | 6.3 |
Relative |
768 | 696 | 72 | 9.3 |
With two or more members in the labor force |
32,567 | 32,253 | 313 | 1.0 |
With two members |
27,537 | 27,246 | 290 | 1.1 |
With three or more members |
5,030 | 5,007 | 23 | 0.5 |
Families maintained by women³ |
12,253 | 10,262 | 1,991 | 16.2 |
With related children under 18 years |
7,701 | 5,945 | 1,756 | 22.8 |
Without children |
4,552 | 4,317 | 235 | 5.2 |
With one member in the labor force |
8,497 | 6,674 | 1,823 | 21.5 |
Householder |
6,779 | 5,202 | 1,577 | 23.3 |
Relative |
1,718 | 1,472 | 246 | 14.3 |
With two or more members in the labor force |
3,756 | 3,588 | 168 | 4.5 |
Families maintained by men³ |
5,577 | 5,129 | 449 | 8.0 |
With related children under 18 years |
2,756 | 2,447 | 309 | 11.2 |
Without children |
2,821 | 2,681 | 140 | 5.0 |
With one member in the labor force |
3,362 | 2,971 | 391 | 11.6 |
Householder |
2,684 | 2,403 | 280 | 10.5 |
Relative |
678 | 568 | 111 | 16.3 |
With two or more members in the labor force |
2,216 | 2,158 | 58 | 2.6 |
¹ Number below the poverty level as a percentage of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year. ² Opposite-sex married-couple families only. ³ No opposite-sex spouse present. Note: Data relate to primary families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). |
Poverty status and work experience | Total | In married-couple families¹ | In families maintained by women² | In families maintained by men² | Unrelated individuals | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Husbands | Wives | Related children under 18 years | Other relatives | Householder | Related children under 18 years | Other relatives | Householder | Related children under 18 years | Other relatives | |||
Total |
||||||||||||
All people |
254,413 | 60,187 | 60,772 | 5,687 | 21,691 | 15,551 | 2,223 | 14,565 | 6,409 | 704 | 7,214 | 59,411 |
With labor force activity |
166,221 | 45,407 | 37,550 | 1,501 | 13,519 | 10,816 | 497 | 8,969 | 4,875 | 163 | 4,665 | 38,258 |
1 to 26 weeks |
12,857 | 1,539 | 2,626 | 860 | 2,478 | 786 | 267 | 1,086 | 229 | 104 | 415 | 2,468 |
27 weeks or more |
153,364 | 43,868 | 34,924 | 641 | 11,041 | 10,030 | 230 | 7,883 | 4,647 | 60 | 4,250 | 35,789 |
With no labor force activity |
88,193 | 14,780 | 23,222 | 4,186 | 8,172 | 4,735 | 1,726 | 5,595 | 1,534 | 541 | 2,549 | 21,153 |
At or above poverty level |
||||||||||||
All people |
225,760 | 57,112 | 57,678 | 5,380 | 20,808 | 11,416 | 1,492 | 12,406 | 5,565 | 569 | 6,479 | 46,856 |
With labor force activity |
156,199 | 43,987 | 36,823 | 1,458 | 13,289 | 8,683 | 386 | 8,255 | 4,475 | 129 | 4,421 | 34,292 |
1 to 26 weeks |
10,407 | 1,406 | 2,440 | 839 | 2,405 | 366 | 198 | 858 | 158 | 77 | 366 | 1,294 |
27 weeks or more |
145,792 | 42,581 | 34,383 | 618 | 10,884 | 8,317 | 188 | 7,398 | 4,317 | 52 | 4,055 | 32,998 |
With no labor force activity |
69,561 | 13,124 | 20,855 | 3,922 | 7,519 | 2,733 | 1,106 | 4,150 | 1,090 | 440 | 2,058 | 12,564 |
Below poverty level |
||||||||||||
All people |
28,653 | 3,076 | 3,094 | 307 | 883 | 4,134 | 731 | 2,159 | 844 | 135 | 735 | 12,555 |
With labor force activity |
10,021 | 1,420 | 727 | 43 | 229 | 2,132 | 111 | 714 | 400 | 34 | 244 | 3,966 |
1 to 26 weeks |
2,450 | 133 | 186 | 20 | 72 | 420 | 69 | 228 | 70 | 27 | 49 | 1,174 |
27 weeks or more |
7,572 | 1,287 | 542 | 22 | 157 | 1,713 | 42 | 486 | 330 | 7 | 195 | 2,792 |
With no labor force activity |
18,632 | 1,656 | 2,367 | 265 | 653 | 2,002 | 620 | 1,445 | 444 | 100 | 491 | 8,589 |
Rate³ |
||||||||||||
All people |
11.3 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 26.6 | 32.9 | 14.8 | 13.2 | 19.1 | 10.2 | 21.1 |
With labor force activity |
6.0 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 19.7 | 22.4 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 20.8 | 5.2 | 10.4 |
1 to 26 weeks |
19.1 | 8.7 | 7.1 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 53.4 | 26.0 | 21.0 | 30.8 | 25.8 | 11.9 | 47.6 |
27 weeks or more |
4.9 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 17.1 | 18.3 | 6.2 | 7.1 | - | 4.6 | 7.8 |
With no labor force activity |
21.1 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 6.3 | 8.0 | 42.3 | 35.9 | 25.8 | 28.9 | 18.6 | 19.3 | 40.6 |
¹ Opposite-sex married-couple families only. ² No opposite-sex spouse present. ³ Number below the poverty level as a percentage of the total. Note: Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). |
Characteristic | Total | At or above poverty level | Below poverty level | Rate¹ |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age and gender |
||||
Total unrelated individuals |
35,789 | 32,998 | 2,792 | 7.8 |
16 to 19 years |
375 | 232 | 143 | 38.2 |
20 to 24 years |
4,248 | 3,584 | 664 | 15.6 |
25 to 64 years |
28,458 | 26,542 | 1,916 | 6.7 |
65 years and older |
2,708 | 2,639 | 68 | 2.5 |
Men |
19,550 | 18,215 | 1,335 | 6.8 |
Women |
16,239 | 14,783 | 1,456 | 9.0 |
Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity |
||||
White |
27,693 | 25,725 | 1,968 | 7.1 |
Men |
15,286 | 14,331 | 954 | 6.2 |
Women |
12,408 | 11,394 | 1,013 | 8.2 |
Black or African American |
5,238 | 4,640 | 598 | 11.4 |
Men |
2,732 | 2,439 | 293 | 10.7 |
Women |
2,506 | 2,201 | 305 | 12.2 |
Asian |
1,603 | 1,514 | 89 | 5.6 |
Men |
838 | 810 | 28 | 3.4 |
Women |
765 | 704 | 61 | 8.0 |
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity |
4,735 | 4,225 | 510 | 10.8 |
Men |
2,941 | 2,683 | 258 | 8.8 |
Women |
1,794 | 1,542 | 252 | 14.1 |
Living arrangement |
||||
Living alone |
18,344 | 17,228 | 1,117 | 6.1 |
Living with others |
17,445 | 15,770 | 1,675 | 9.6 |
¹ Number below the poverty level as percentage of total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). |
Labor market problems | Total | At or above poverty level | Below poverty level | Rate¹ |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total, full-time wage and salary workers |
119,915 | 116,480 | 3,435 | 2.9 |
No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings² |
102,040 | 101,381 | 659 | 0.6 |
Workers experiencing one labor market problem |
||||
Unemployment only |
5,409 | 4,994 | 415 | 7.7 |
Involuntary part-time employment only |
2,612 | 2,566 | 46 | 1.8 |
Low earnings only |
6,900 | 5,389 | 1,510 | 21.9 |
Workers experiencing multiple labor market problems |
||||
Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment |
786 | 690 | 96 | 12.2 |
Unemployment and low earnings |
1,163 | 748 | 415 | 35.7 |
Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings |
676 | 519 | 156 | 23.2 |
Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings |
330 | 192 | 138 | 41.8 |
Workers experiencing each labor market problem |
||||
Unemployment (alone or with other problems) |
7,688 | 6,624 | 1,064 | 13.8 |
Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems) |
4,404 | 3,968 | 436 | 9.9 |
Low earnings (alone or with other problems) |
9,069 | 6,849 | 2,220 | 24.5 |
¹ Number below the poverty level as a percentage of total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. ² The low-earnings threshold in 2016 was $353.25 per week. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). |
The data presented in this report were collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data from the CPS are used to obtain the monthly estimates of the nation’s employment and unemployment levels. The ASEC, conducted in the months of February through April, includes questions about work activity and income during the previous calendar year. For instance, data collected in 2017 refer to the 2016 calendar year.
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, both small estimates and small differences between estimates should be interpreted with caution. For a detailed explanation of the ASEC, its sampling variability, more extensive definitions than those provided here, and additional information about income and poverty measures, see “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2016,” Current Population Reports, p60-259 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2017), https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2017/demo/P60-259.pdf.
Material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission.
Upon request, the information in this report will be made available to individuals who are sensory impaired. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
For more information on the data provided in this report, contact the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Labor Force Statistics. Email: cpsinfo@bls.gov; Telephone: (202) 691-6378.
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, predicated on the basis of factors such as family size and the number of children under 18 years of age.
The actual poverty thresholds vary because of the makeup of the family. In 2016, the weighted average poverty threshold for a family of four was $24,563; for a family of nine or more people, the threshold was $49,721; and for one person (unrelated individual), it was $12,228. Poverty thresholds are updated each year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Thresholds do not vary geographically. (For more information, see “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2016,” https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2017/demo/P60-259.pdf.)
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 year 1967 was chosen as the base year because that was the first year in which minimum-wage legislation covered essentially the same broad group of workers that currently is covered. The low-earnings level has been adjusted each year since then in accordance with the CPI-U, so the measure maintains the same real value that it held in 1987. In 2016, the low-earnings threshold was $353.25 per week. For a complete definition, see Bruce W. Klein and Philip L. Rones, “A profile of the working poor,” Monthly Labor Review, October 1989, pp. 3–11, https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1989/10/art1full.pdf.
Income. Data on income are limited to money income—before personal income taxes and payroll deductions—received in the calendar year preceding the CPS supplement. Data on income 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 income, see “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2016,” https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2017/demo/P60-259.pdf.
Labor force. People in the labor force are those who worked or looked for work sometime during the calendar year. The number of weeks in the labor force is accumulated over the entire year. The focus in this report is on people who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
Working poor. The working poor are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force (that is, working or looking for work) but whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level.
Working-poor rate. This rate is the number of individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level, as a percentage of all people who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks during the calendar year.
Involuntary part-time workers. These are people who, during 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. This term refers to the job in which a person worked the most weeks during the calendar year.
Unemployed. Unemployed people are those who looked for work while not employed or those who were on layoff from a job and were expecting to be recalled to that job. The number of weeks unemployed is accumulated over the entire year.
Householder. The householder is the family reference person. This is the person, or one of the persons, in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented. The relationships of the other individuals in the household are defined in terms of their relationships to the householder. The race or ethnicity of the family is determined by that of the householder.
Family. A family is a group of two or more people residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption; all such people are considered members of one family. The count of families is for “primary” families only. A primary family consists of a householder and all other people related to and residing with the householder. A subfamily is a family that does not maintain its own household, for example, a married couple living in the home of a friend and their family. Families include those with or without children under 18 years old. Families are classified either as married-couple families, which refers to opposite-sex married couples only, or as those maintained by men or women without opposite-sex spouses present. The household may or may not include a same-sex spouse or an unmarried domestic partner of either sex. Family status is determined at the time of the survey interview and, thus, may be different from that of the previous year.
Unrelated individuals. These are people who are not living with anyone related to them by birth, marriage, or adoption. Such individuals may live alone, reside in a nonrelated family household, or live in group quarters with other unrelated individuals.
Related children. These are children under age 18 that live in the household. Included are sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, other related children, and all unrelated children living in the household.
Race. White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander are terms used to describe the race of people. Beginning in 2003, people in these categories are those who selected that race group only. Those who identify multiple race groups are categorized as people of Two or More Races. Estimates for American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and people of Two or More Races are included in totals, but are not shown separately because the number of survey respondents is too small to develop estimates of publication quality. In the enumeration process, race is determined by the household respondent.
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. This term refers to people who identified themselves in the CPS enumeration process as being of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish ethnicity. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.