Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

September 2022 Report 1099

A profile of the working poor, 2020

A profile of the working poor, 2020 image

In 2020, 37.2 million people, or 11.4 percent of the nation’s population, lived below the official poverty level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.1 (See the technical notes section for examples of poverty levels.) Although the poor were primarily adults who had not participated in the labor force during the year and children, 6.3 million individuals were among the “working poor” in 2020, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); this measure was essentially unchanged from 2019. 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. In 2020, the working-poor rate—the ratio of the working poor to all individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks—was 4.1 percent, little different from the previous year’s figure (4.0 percent). (See table A, chart 1, and table 1.)

Highlights from the 2020 data:

  • In 2020, the working-poor rate of people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more was 4.1 percent and was little changed from a year earlier, when it reached a series low (4.0 percent). (See chart 1.)
  • Full-time workers remained much less likely to be among the working poor than part-time workers. Among people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2.6 percent of those usually employed full time were classified as working poor, compared with 10.2 percent of part-time workers. (See table 1.)
  • Women were more likely than men to be among the working poor (4.6 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively). In addition, Hispanics or Latinos (7.4 percent) and Blacks or African Americans (6.7 percent) continued to be much more likely than Whites (3.7 percent) and Asians (2.6 percent) to be among the working poor.2 (See table 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, 13.0 percent of those who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks were classified as working poor, compared with 1.3 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree and higher. (See table 3.)
  • Individuals who were employed in service occupations remained 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 (7.9 percent) were about four times as likely as those without children (1.9 percent) to live in poverty. Families maintained by women (13.1 percent) were more than twice as likely as families maintained by men (5.9 percent) to be living below the poverty level. (See table 5.)
Table A. Poverty status of people and primary families in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2008–20 (Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic2008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020

Total in the labor force1

147,838147,902146,859147,475148,735149,483150,319152,230153,364154,762156,454157,769153,201

In poverty

8,88310,39110,51210,38210,61210,4509,4878,5607,5726,9466,9646,3186,306

Working poor rate

6.07.07.27.07.17.06.35.64.94.54.54.04.1

Unrelated individuals

32,78533,79834,09933,73134,81035,06135,01835,95335,78936,95937,08236,80537,080

In poverty

3,2753,9473,9473,6213,8514,1413,3953,1372,7922,5242,6842,4452,424

Working poor rate

10.011.711.610.711.111.89.78.77.86.87.26.66.5

Primary families2

65,90765,46764,93166,22566,54166,46266,73267,19367,62867,58868,09968,31866,781

In poverty

4,5385,1935,2695,4695,4785,1375,1084,6074,0823,8543,6283,2323,260

Working poor rate

6.97.98.18.38.27.77.76.96.05.75.34.74.9

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 2020 for workers and their families. These data were collected in the 2021 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 the report, see the technical notes.) Data in this report reflect the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the labor market. The specific income thresholds used to determine people’s poverty status vary depending on whether the individuals are living with family members, living alone, or living with nonrelatives. For people living with family members, the poverty threshold is determined by the family’s total income; for individuals not living in families, personal income is used as the determinant.

Demographic characteristics

Among those who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2020, the number of women classified as working poor (3.4 million) was higher than that of men (3.0 million). The working-poor rate also continued to be higher for women (4.6 percent) than for men (3.6 percent). The working-poor rates for both women and men were little different from a year earlier. (See table 2.)

Hispanics and Blacks were much more likely than Whites and Asians to be among the working poor. In 2020, the working-poor rates for Hispanics and Blacks were 7.4 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively, compared with 3.7 percent for Whites and 2.6 percent for Asians. (See table 2 and chart 2.)

Among Whites and Blacks, the working-poor rate was higher for women than for men in 2020. The rates for White women and White men who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force were 4.0 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively. The rate for Black women was 8.1 percent, compared with 5.1 percent for Black men. For Asians and Hispanics, the working-poor rates for women varied slightly from those of men. The working-poor rate for Asian women was 2.8 percent and the rate for men was 2.4 percent. Among Hispanics, the rate for women was 7.8 percent, and the rate for men was 7.2 percent. (See table 2.)

There are disparities in the distribution of poverty among the different race groups by age. Even though the working-poor rate for women overall was little different from the previous year, women ages 20 to 24 saw their rate increase significantly—by 1.4 percentage points to 9.7 percent—over the year. Among race and ethnicity groups, White women ages 20 to 24 saw an increase to 8.8 percent in 2020. Black women ages 25 to 34 experienced a decrease to 12.1 percent over the year. The working-poor rate for Hispanic women ages 25 to 34 saw an increase to 8.8 percent, and Hispanic women ages 35 to 44 saw an increase to 9.6 percent over the year. (See table 2.) The increase in working-poor rates in some of these age groups coincided with the 2020 recession associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. (More information about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market is available at https://www.bls.gov/cps/effects-of-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic.htm.)

Young workers are more likely to have higher working-poor rates 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. Among youths who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 7.8 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 7.9 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds had incomes that fell below the official poverty level in 2020. Those rates were higher than the rates for workers ages 25 to 34 (5.0 percent) and those ages 35 to 44 (4.6 percent). Workers ages 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and 65 and older had lower working-poor rates—3.0 percent, 2.5 percent, and 1.5 percent, respectively—than did those in younger age groups. Younger workers are more likely than older workers to be employed in service occupations, an occupational group hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, employment declined more sharply among part-time workers because of the pandemic and younger workers are more likely to be employed part time. (More information about how the pandemic affected people working part time is available at https://www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-and-response-on-the-employment-situation-news-release.htm#ques17.) (See table 2.)

Educational attainment

Achieving higher levels of education reduces the incidence of living in poverty. People 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. Among people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2020, those with less than a high school diploma had the highest working-poor rate, at 13.0 percent, while those with a bachelor’s degree and higher had the lowest, at 1.3 percent. For high school graduates and those with some college or associate’s degree, women were more likely than men to be among the working poor. The working-poor rates were little different for men and women with a bachelor’s degree and higher and for those with less than a high school diploma. (See table 3 and chart 3.)

For people with a bachelor’s degree and higher, all race and ethnicity groups had similar working-poor rates, ranging from 1.1 percent to 2.1 percent. For those with less than a high school diploma, the working poor rate for Asians (8.7 percent) was lower than the rates for Whites (12.1 percent), Hispanics (14.8 percent), and Blacks (19.4 percent) in 2020.

Occupation

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. For example, 1.4 percent of those in management, professional, and related occupations were among the working poor in 2020. By contrast, individuals employed in occupations that typically do not require high levels of education and that are characterized by relatively low earnings were more likely to be among the working poor. For instance, 8.4 percent of workers in service occupations who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks were classified as working poor in 2020. The 2.0 million working poor employed in service occupations accounted for about one-third of all those classified as working poor. (See table 4.)

For most occupational groups, women had higher working-poor rates than men. However, the rates for men and women were little different in management, professional, and related occupations (1.2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively). For both men and women, working-poor rates were lowest in this occupational group. The working-poor rate for women in service occupations was 10.1 percent while the rate for men was 6.2 percent.

Families

In 2020, 3.3 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 was little different from the prior year. Among families with only one member in the labor force for at least 27 weeks in 2020, married-couple families were less likely to be living below the poverty level, at 6.3 percent, than were families maintained by women, at 17.5 percent, and families maintained by men, at 8.6 percent. (See
table 5.)

Among families with at least one member in the labor force for more than half the year, those with children in the household were much more likely, at 7.9 percent, to live below the poverty level than those without children at 1.9 percent. However, those without children experienced a 0.3-percentage-point increase in their working-poor rate while the rate for those with children changed little over the year. Among families with children under 18, the working-poor rate for those maintained by women (18.9 percent) was higher than the rate for those maintained by men (8.3 percent). Married-couple families with children under 18 had a working-poor rate of 4.4 percent.

Unrelated individuals

The “unrelated individuals” category includes individuals who live by themselves or with others not related to them. Of the 37.1 million unrelated individuals who were in the labor force for half the year or longer, 2.4 million lived below the poverty level in 2020. This measure was essentially unchanged from a year earlier. The working-poor rate for unrelated individuals who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more was 6.5 percent, little different from last year’s figure. (See table 6.)

Within the group of unrelated individuals, teenagers continued to be most likely to be among the working poor. In 2020, 36.5 percent of teens (ages 16 to 19) who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more and who lived on their own or with others not related to them lived below the poverty level, little changed from the prior year. In 2020, the working-poor rates for men and women living alone or with nonrelatives were 5.9 percent and 7.3 percent, respectively. The rates for unrelated individuals were higher for Hispanics (10.2 percent) and Blacks (7.9 percent) than for Whites (6.1 percent) and Asians (5.5 percent). (See table 7.)

Of the 2.4 million unrelated individuals considered to be among the working poor in 2020, about 3 out of 5 lived with others. These individuals had a higher working-poor rate (8.3 percent) than individuals who lived alone (4.8 percent). Many unrelated individuals living below the poverty level may live with others out of necessity. By contrast, many of those who live alone 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.

Labor market problems

As noted earlier, people who usually work full time are less likely to live in poverty than are those who work part time, yet there remains a sizable group of full-time workers who live below the poverty threshold. Among those who participated in the labor force for 27 weeks or more and usually worked in full-time wage and salary jobs, 2.9 million, or 2.4 percent, were classified as working poor in 2020—little different than the 3.0-million figure a year earlier. (See table 8.)

There are three major labor market problems that can hinder a worker’s ability to earn an income that is above the poverty threshold: low earnings, periods of unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment.

In 2020, 83 percent of the working poor who usually work full time experienced at least one of the major labor market problems. Low earnings continued to be the most common problem, with 61 percent subject to low earnings, either as the only problem or in combination with other labor market problems. Forty-three percent experienced unemployment as the main labor market problem or in conjunction with other problems, an increase of 16.6 percentage points from the prior year, an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Five percent of the working poor experienced all three problems: low earnings, unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment. (See table 8.)

Some 490,000, or 17 percent, of the working poor who usually worked full time did not experience any of the three primary labor market problems, a decline of 114,000 in 2020. 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.

Notes

1 “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2020,” Current Population Reports, P60–273 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2021),

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.pdf.

2 People of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.

Statistical Tables

Table 1. People ages 16 and older in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2020 (Numbers in thousands)
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

168,591 153,201 136,403

Did not work during the year

2,925 1,554 1,185

Worked during the year

165,666 151,647 135,218

Usual full-time workers

134,019 127,596 116,776

Usual part-time workers

31,648 24,051 18,442

Involuntary part-time workers

7,337 6,035 4,825

Voluntary part-time workers

24,311 18,016 13,617

At or above poverty level

Total in the labor force

159,699 146,895 131,393

Did not work during the year

1,957 1,061 787

Worked during the year

157,742 145,834 130,606

Usual full-time workers

129,702 124,230 114,004

Usual part-time workers

28,040 21,605 16,601

Involuntary part-time workers

6,103 5,081 4,060

Voluntary part-time workers

21,938 16,524 12,542

Below poverty level

Total in the labor force

8,892 6,306 5,010

Did not work during the year

968 494 398

Worked during the year

7,924 5,812 4,613

Usual full-time workers

4,317 3,366 2,772

Usual part-time workers

3,607 2,446 1,841

Involuntary part-time workers

1,234 954 765

Voluntary part-time workers

2,373 1,493 1,076

Rate1

Total in the labor force

5.3 4.1 3.7

Did not work during the year

33.1 31.8 33.6

Worked during the year

4.8 3.8 3.4

Usual full-time workers

3.2 2.6 2.4

Usual part-time workers

11.4 10.2 10.0

Involuntary part-time workers

16.8 15.8 15.9

Voluntary part-time workers

9.8 8.3 7.9

1Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity, 2020 (Numbers in thousands)
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

153,201 118,627 19,362 9,793 27,126 6,306 4,398 1,300 253 2,020 4.1 3.7 6.7 2.6 7.4

16 to 19 years

3,498 2,680 527 103 753 274 189 66 - 95 7.8 7.1 12.6 - 12.6

20 to 24 years

12,396 9,327 1,761 586 2,988 982 656 197 59 238 7.9 7.0 11.2 10.1 8.0

25 to 34 years

35,399 26,327 4,992 2,456 7,084 1,778 1,185 436 61 548 5.0 4.5 8.7 2.5 7.7

35 to 44 years

33,189 25,075 4,386 2,532 6,537 1,513 1,098 298 49 614 4.6 4.4 6.8 2.0 9.4

45 to 54 years

31,105 24,284 3,782 2,135 5,459 939 667 173 42 330 3.0 2.7 4.6 2.0 6.0

55 to 64 years

26,987 21,932 2,944 1,508 3,362 663 496 98 30 158 2.5 2.3 3.3 2.0 4.7

65 years and older

10,627 9,002 968 474 943 157 107 30 12 37 1.5 1.2 3.1 2.5 3.9

Men, 16 years and older

81,010 63,979 9,097 5,186 15,514 2,954 2,204 467 124 1,119 3.6 3.4 5.1 2.4 7.2

16 to 19 years

1,662 1,301 204 51 411 122 82 25 - 59 7.3 6.3 12.5 - 14.4

20 to 24 years

6,298 4,795 846 284 1,599 388 258 86 22 103 6.2 5.4 10.1 7.9 6.4

25 to 34 years

18,833 14,230 2,467 1,310 4,081 746 554 130 29 284 4.0 3.9 5.3 2.2 7.0

35 to 44 years

18,016 14,011 2,022 1,372 3,865 770 613 92 32 356 4.3 4.4 4.5 2.3 9.2

45 to 54 years

16,277 12,994 1,705 1,140 3,094 529 388 86 21 206 3.2 3.0 5.0 1.9 6.7

55 to 64 years

13,989 11,487 1,418 787 1,899 324 251 34 17 91 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.2 4.8

65 years and older

5,934 5,162 435 244 565 75 58 14 2 20 1.3 1.1 3.2 0.9 3.6

Women, 16 years and older

72,191 54,648 10,264 4,608 11,613 3,352 2,194 833 129 901 4.6 4.0 8.1 2.8 7.8

16 to 19 years

1,837 1,380 323 52 342 152 107 41 - 36 8.3 7.8 12.6 - 10.5

20 to 24 years

6,098 4,532 915 302 1,389 593 398 111 37 136 9.7 8.8 12.1 12.1 9.8

25 to 34 years

16,566 12,096 2,525 1,146 3,003 1,033 631 306 32 263 6.2 5.2 12.1 2.8 8.8

35 to 44 years

15,172 11,065 2,364 1,160 2,672 743 485 207 18 258 4.9 4.4 8.7 1.5 9.6

45 to 54 years

14,828 11,290 2,077 995 2,365 411 280 88 21 124 2.8 2.5 4.2 2.1 5.2

55 to 64 years

12,998 10,445 1,526 722 1,463 339 245 64 13 68 2.6 2.4 4.2 1.7 4.6

65 years and older

4,693 3,840 533 230 378 82 49 16 10 17 1.7 1.3 3.1 4.2 4.4

1Number below the poverty level as a percent 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 indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).

Table 3. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by educational attainment, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2020 (Numbers in thousands)
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

153,201 81,010 72,191 6,306 2,954 3,352 4.1 3.6 4.6

Less than a high school diploma

10,584 6,620 3,964 1,375 826 550 13.0 12.5 13.9

Less than 1 year of high school

3,594 2,433 1,161 518 355 163 14.4 14.6 14.0

1–3 years of high school

5,407 3,196 2,211 639 333 306 11.8 10.4 13.8

4 years of high school, no diploma

1,583 991 592 219 138 81 13.8 13.9 13.7

High school graduates, no college2

38,935 23,291 15,644 2,448 1,147 1,301 6.3 4.9 8.3

Some college or associate's degree

40,673 20,471 20,202 1,664 603 1,061 4.1 2.9 5.3

Some college, no degree

24,157 12,584 11,572 1,094 422 672 4.5 3.4 5.8

Associate's degree

16,516 7,886 8,630 570 181 389 3.5 2.3 4.5

Bachelor's degree and higher3

63,009 30,628 32,381 819 378 441 1.3 1.2 1.4

White, 16 years and older

118,627 63,979 54,648 4,398 2,204 2,194 3.7 3.4 4.0

Less than a high school diploma

8,465 5,411 3,054 1,025 630 395 12.1 11.6 12.9

Less than 1 year of high school

3,048 2,105 942 436 297 138 14.3 14.1 14.7

1–3 years of high school

4,256 2,568 1,688 455 245 210 10.7 9.6 12.4

4 years of high school, no diploma

1,162 738 424 134 87 46 11.5 11.8 10.9

High school graduates, no college2

29,974 18,326 11,649 1,677 852 825 5.6 4.7 7.1

Some college or associate's degree

31,509 16,272 15,237 1,158 454 704 3.7 2.8 4.6

Some college, no degree

18,412 9,831 8,581 744 319 425 4.0 3.2 5.0

Associate's degree

13,097 6,441 6,656 414 135 279 3.2 2.1 4.2

Bachelor's degree and higher3

48,678 23,970 24,708 538 268 270 1.1 1.1 1.1

Black or African American, 16 years and older

19,362 9,097 10,264 1,300 467 833 6.7 5.1 8.1

Less than a high school diploma

1,192 660 532 232 123 109 19.4 18.6 20.5

Less than 1 year of high school

198 113 85 34 21 13 17.1 18.3 15.5

1–3 years of high school

711 375 335 133 59 74 18.8 15.7 22.2

4 years of high school, no diploma

283 172 111 65 43 21 22.8 25.2 19.2

High school graduates, no college2

6,061 3,341 2,721 599 214 385 9.9 6.4 14.2

Some college or associate's degree

5,983 2,661 3,322 342 90 252 5.7 3.4 7.6

Some college, no degree

3,838 1,784 2,054 231 62 169 6.0 3.5 8.2

Associate's degree

2,145 877 1,268 111 28 83 5.2 3.2 6.5

Bachelor's degree and higher3

6,126 2,435 3,690 126 40 86 2.1 1.6 2.3

Asian, 16 years and older

9,793 5,186 4,608 253 124 129 2.6 2.4 2.8

Less than a high school diploma

378 201 177 33 20 12 8.7 10.2 7.1

Less than 1 year of high school

170 89 81 14 12 2 8.3 13.6 2.3

1–3 years of high school

159 83 76 16 8 8 10.0 10.0 10.0

4 years of high school, no diploma

49 29 20 3 - 3 - - -

High school graduates, no college2

1,369 741 628 42 21 21 3.1 2.8 3.4

Some college or associate's degree

1,459 718 741 62 18 44 4.2 2.5 5.9

Some college, no degree

824 433 391 56 15 42 6.8 3.4 10.7

Associate's degree

635 285 350 5 3 2 0.8 1.2 0.5

Bachelor's degree and higher3

6,588 3,526 3,062 116 64 52 1.8 1.8 1.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older

27,126 15,514 11,613 2,020 1,119 901 7.4 7.2 7.8

Less than a high school diploma

5,545 3,736 1,809 820 525 295 14.8 14.1 16.3

Less than 1 year of high school

2,697 1,884 813 406 281 125 15.1 14.9 15.4

1–3 years of high school

2,142 1,365 777 302 171 132 14.1 12.5 16.9

4 years of high school, no diploma

707 487 219 112 73 39 15.9 15.0 17.7

High school graduates, no college2

8,785 5,437 3,348 722 398 323 8.2 7.3 9.7

Some college or associate's degree

6,893 3,474 3,420 359 135 224 5.2 3.9 6.5

Some college, no degree

4,252 2,190 2,062 232 102 130 5.4 4.6 6.3

Associate's degree

2,641 1,283 1,358 127 34 94 4.8 2.6 6.9

Bachelor's degree and higher3

5,903 2,867 3,036 118 60 58 2.0 2.1 1.9

1Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
2Includes people with a high school diploma or equivalent.
3Includes 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 indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).

Table 4. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year: poverty status by occupation of longest job held, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2020 (Numbers in thousands)
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

151,647 80,120 71,527 5,812 2,684 3,129 3.8 3.3 4.4

Management, professional, and related occupations

64,727 31,005 33,723 902 384 517 1.4 1.2 1.5

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

28,104 15,278 12,825 376 202 175 1.3 1.3 1.4

Professional and related occupations

36,624 15,726 20,897 525 182 343 1.4 1.2 1.6

Service occupations

23,693 10,146 13,547 1,989 626 1,363 8.4 6.2 10.1

Sales and office occupations

30,245 11,453 18,793 1,203 349 855 4.0 3.0 4.5

Sales and related occupations

14,077 7,146 6,931 687 227 460 4.9 3.2 6.6

Office and administrative support occupations

16,168 4,306 11,862 516 121 395 3.2 2.8 3.3

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

13,888 13,112 776 803 733 69 5.8 5.6 8.9

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

1,080 827 253 111 87 24 10.3 10.5 9.7

Construction and extraction occupations

7,941 7,595 346 540 500 40 6.8 6.6 11.6

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

4,866 4,690 176 151 147 5 3.1 3.1 2.6

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations

18,956 14,291 4,664 916 591 325 4.8 4.1 7.0

Production occupations

7,871 5,576 2,295 303 160 143 3.9 2.9 6.2

Transportation and material-moving occupations

11,085 8,715 2,370 613 431 182 5.5 4.9 7.7

White, 16 years and older2

117,627 63,387 54,240 4,083 2,007 2,076 3.5 3.2 3.8

Management, professional, and related occupations

50,576 24,762 25,813 613 289 325 1.2 1.2 1.3

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

22,724 12,860 9,864 274 159 115 1.2 1.2 1.2

Professional and related occupations

27,851 11,902 15,949 339 130 210 1.2 1.1 1.3

Service occupations

17,186 7,419 9,767 1,350 471 879 7.9 6.3 9.0

Sales and office occupations

23,683 8,965 14,717 836 237 598 3.5 2.6 4.1

Sales and related occupations

11,259 5,787 5,472 484 145 339 4.3 2.5 6.2

Office and administrative support occupations

12,424 3,179 9,245 352 92 259 2.8 2.9 2.8

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

12,038 11,349 689 671 603 68 5.6 5.3 9.8

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

963 726 237 100 75 24 10.4 10.4 10.3

Construction and extraction occupations

6,900 6,592 308 458 420 38 6.6 6.4 12.5

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

4,174 4,030 144 113 108 5 2.7 2.7 3.2

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations

14,044 10,809 3,234 614 408 206 4.4 3.8 6.4

Production occupations

6,090 4,449 1,642 221 123 98 3.6 2.8 6.0

Transportation and material-moving occupations

7,953 6,360 1,593 393 285 109 4.9 4.5 6.8

Black or African American, 16 years and older2

18,972 8,873 10,099 1,160 410 749 6.1 4.6 7.4

Management, professional, and related occupations

6,558 2,372 4,186 159 40 119 2.4 1.7 2.8

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

2,612 1,005 1,607 55 19 36 2.1 1.9 2.2

Professional and related occupations

3,946 1,367 2,580 104 20 83 2.6 1.5 3.2

Service occupations

4,133 1,654 2,479 457 95 362 11.1 5.8 14.6

Sales and office occupations

3,905 1,452 2,453 240 63 176 6.1 4.4 7.2

Sales and related occupations

1,577 725 852 138 46 92 8.7 6.3 10.8

Office and administrative support occupations

2,328 727 1,601 102 17 85 4.4 2.4 5.3

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

1,006 958 48 79 78 1 7.9 8.2 -

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

49 43 5 8 8 - - - -

Construction and extraction occupations

576 554 22 51 50 1 8.9 9.0 -

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

382 361 21 20 20 - 5.3 5.6 -

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations

3,347 2,420 927 225 134 91 6.7 5.5 9.8

Production occupations

1,098 722 376 64 26 38 5.8 3.6 10.1

Transportation and material-moving occupations

2,249 1,698 550 161 108 53 7.2 6.4 9.7

Asian, 16 years and older2

9,677 5,134 4,543 237 118 118 2.4 2.3 2.6

Management, professional, and related occupations

5,670 3,065 2,606 86 42 44 1.5 1.4 1.7

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

1,917 998 918 31 17 13 1.6 1.7 1.4

Professional and related occupations

3,754 2,066 1,687 55 25 30 1.5 1.2 1.8

Service occupations

1,296 546 750 62 17 45 4.8 3.1 6.0

Sales and office occupations

1,544 661 883 59 33 26 3.8 5.0 3.0

Sales and related occupations

757 407 350 29 22 8 3.9 5.4 2.2

Office and administrative support occupations

788 255 533 30 11 19 3.8 4.3 3.5

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

290 277 12 8 8 - 2.8 2.9 -

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

20 16 4 1 1 - - - -

Construction and extraction occupations

137 134 3 5 5 - 3.5 3.6 -

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

132 127 5 2 2 - 1.6 1.7 -

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations

875 583 291 21 18 3 2.4 3.1 1.0

Production occupations

427 251 176 5 5 - 1.1 2.0 -

Transportation and material-moving occupations

447 333 115 16 13 3 3.6 4.0 2.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older2

26,746 15,297 11,449 1,876 1,046 830 7.0 6.8 7.2

Management, professional, and related occupations

6,353 2,967 3,386 145 67 77 2.3 2.3 2.3

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

2,762 1,470 1,292 57 29 28 2.1 2.0 2.2

Professional and related occupations

3,591 1,497 2,094 87 38 50 2.4 2.5 2.4

Service occupations

5,916 2,668 3,248 705 291 415 11.9 10.9 12.8

Sales and office occupations

5,299 1,984 3,316 281 86 195 5.3 4.3 5.9

Sales and related occupations

2,374 1,116 1,258 157 52 105 6.6 4.7 8.3

Office and administrative support occupations

2,926 868 2,058 124 34 90 4.2 3.9 4.4

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

4,601 4,327 274 444 401 43 9.6 9.3 15.6

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

457 324 133 47 33 14 10.3 10.2 10.5

Construction and extraction occupations

3,035 2,920 115 329 302 28 10.8 10.3 23.9

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

1,109 1,083 25 67 66 1 6.1 6.1 -

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations

4,540 3,318 1,222 302 201 100 6.6 6.1 8.2

Production occupations

1,873 1,231 642 117 68 49 6.2 5.5 7.6

Transportation and material-moving occupations

2,667 2,087 580 185 133 52 6.9 6.4 8.9

1Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
2Estimates for the occupational groups do not sum to totals because data includes 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 indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).

Table 5. Primary families: poverty status, presence of related children, and work experience of family members in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2020 (Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic Total families At or above poverty level Below poverty level Rate1

Total primary families

Total

66,781 63,521 3,260 4.9

With related children under 18 years

33,468 30,828 2,641 7.9

Without children

33,312 32,693 620 1.9

With one member in the labor force

28,739 25,922 2,817 9.8

With two or more members in the labor force

38,042 37,598 443 1.2

With two members

31,760 31,371 388 1.2

With three or more members

6,282 6,227 55 0.9

Married-couple families2

Total

48,811 47,484 1,327 2.7

With related children under 18 years

23,270 22,243 1,028 4.4

Without children

25,541 25,241 300 1.2

With one member in the labor force

16,881 15,813 1,068 6.3

Husband

11,396 10,597 799 7.0

Wife

4,627 4,408 219 4.7

Relative

858 808 50 5.9

With two or more members in the labor force

31,931 31,671 260 0.8

With two members

26,953 26,727 226 0.8

With three or more members

4,978 4,944 34 0.7

Families maintained by women3

Total

12,077 10,494 1,583 13.1

With related children under 18 years

7,244 5,878 1,367 18.9

Without children

4,833 4,617 216 4.5

With one member in the labor force

8,184 6,751 1,434 17.5

Householder

6,529 5,325 1,204 18.4

Relative

1,655 1,426 230 13.9

With two or more members in the labor force

3,893 3,744 149 3.8

Families maintained by men3

Total

5,892 5,542 350 5.9

With related children under 18 years

2,954 2,708 246 8.3

Without children

2,938 2,835 103 3.5

With one member in the labor force

3,674 3,359 315 8.6

Householder

3,019 2,754 265 8.8

Relative

655 605 50 7.6

With two or more members in the labor force

2,218 2,183 35 1.6

1Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
2Beginning with data for 2018, includes both opposite-sex and same-sex married-couple families. Prior to 2018, included opposite-sex married-couple families only.
3Beginning with data for 2018, includes families with no spouse of either sex present. Prior to 2018, included only families with 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, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and work experience, 2020 (Numbers in thousands)
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, 16 years and older

All people

260,995 60,615 61,439 5,493 22,521 15,460 2,212 15,323 6,940 691 7,562 62,740

With labor force activity

168,591 44,345 37,535 1,384 14,021 10,955 438 9,428 5,371 184 4,675 40,254

1 to 26 weeks

15,390 2,045 2,927 751 2,734 1,032 230 1,434 370 97 596 3,174

27 weeks or more

153,201 42,300 34,608 632 11,287 9,923 209 7,994 5,001 87 4,078 37,080

With no labor force activity

92,405 16,270 23,903 4,110 8,500 4,505 1,774 5,895 1,569 507 2,887 22,486

At or above poverty level

All people

234,235 57,774 58,567 5,157 21,691 11,831 1,619 13,235 6,147 599 6,924 50,691

With labor force activity

159,699 43,079 36,922 1,353 13,738 9,162 382 8,703 4,982 169 4,505 36,703

1 to 26 weeks

12,804 1,821 2,738 730 2,635 553 189 1,200 275 87 529 2,047

27 weeks or more

146,895 41,258 34,184 623 11,103 8,610 193 7,503 4,707 82 3,975 34,657

With no labor force activity

74,536 14,695 21,645 3,804 7,952 2,669 1,237 4,532 1,165 430 2,419 13,988

Below poverty level

All people

26,760 2,840 2,871 336 830 3,628 593 2,088 794 92 638 12,049

With labor force activity

8,892 1,266 613 31 283 1,793 56 725 390 15 170 3,551

1 to 26 weeks

2,586 223 189 21 99 479 41 234 95 10 67 1,127

27 weeks or more

6,306 1,042 424 10 184 1,313 15 491 294 5 103 2,424

With no labor force activity

17,868 1,574 2,258 306 547 1,836 537 1,363 404 76 468 8,498

Rate3

All people

10.3 4.7 4.7 6.1 3.7 23.5 26.8 13.6 11.4 13.3 8.4 19.2

With labor force activity

5.3 2.9 1.6 2.2 2.0 16.4 12.8 7.7 7.3 8.4 3.6 8.8

1 to 26 weeks

16.8 10.9 6.4 2.8 3.6 46.4 17.8 16.3 25.7 10.6 11.2 35.5

27 weeks or more

4.1 2.5 1.2 1.5 1.6 13.2 7.4 6.1 5.9 5.9 2.5 6.5

With no labor force activity

19.3 9.7 9.4 7.4 6.4 40.7 30.3 23.1 25.8 15.1 16.2 37.8

1Beginning with data for 2018, includes people in both opposite-sex and same-sex married-couple families. Prior to 2018, included opposite-sex married-couple families only.
2Beginning with data for 2018, includes people in families with no spouse of either sex present. Prior to 2018, included only families with no opposite-sex spouse present.
3Number below the poverty level as a percentage of the total.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and living arrangement, 2020 (Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic Total At or above poverty level Below poverty level Rate1

Age and gender

Total unrelated individuals

37,080 34,657 2,424 6.5

16 to 19 years

343 218 125 36.5

20 to 24 years

3,977 3,446 531 13.3

25 to 64 years

29,949 28,250 1,699 5.7

65 years and older

2,811 2,742 68 2.4

Men

20,128 18,945 1,183 5.9

Women

16,952 15,712 1,240 7.3

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White

28,534 26,798 1,736 6.1

Men

15,681 14,816 864 5.5

Women

12,853 11,981 872 6.8

Black or African American

5,292 4,871 421 7.9

Men

2,706 2,506 200 7.4

Women

2,586 2,365 221 8.5

Asian

1,823 1,722 101 5.5

Men

966 923 42 4.4

Women

857 799 59 6.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

5,377 4,827 551 10.2

Men

3,351 3,020 331 9.9

Women

2,026 1,807 219 10.8

Living arrangement

Living alone

18,560 17,675 885 4.8

Living with others

18,520 16,982 1,538 8.3

1Number below the poverty level as percent 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, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Table 8. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status and labor market problems of full-time wage and salary workers, 2020 (Numbers in thousands)
Labor market problems Total At or above poverty level Below poverty level Rate1

Total, full-time wage and salary workers

121,911 119,046 2,865 2.4

No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings2

99,347 98,858 490 0.5

Workers experiencing one labor market problem

Unemployment only

10,817 10,329 488 4.5

Involuntary part-time employment only

3,042 2,993 49 1.6

Low earnings only

4,637 3,635 1,002 21.6

Workers experiencing multiple labor market problems

Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment

1,702 1,614 88 5.2

Unemployment and low earnings

1,554 1,037 517 33.3

Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings

426 339 87 20.5

Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings

385 240 145 37.7

Workers experiencing each labor market problem

Unemployment (alone or with other problems)

14,458 13,220 1,238 8.6

Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems)

5,556 5,186 369 6.7

Low earnings (alone or with other problems)

7,002 5,252 1,751 25.0

1Number below the poverty level as percent of total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
2The low-earnings threshold in 2020 was $380.93 per week.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Technical Notes

The data presented in this report were collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CPS is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households. Data from the CPS are used to obtain 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 2021 are for the 2020 calendar year. The 2020 data in this report are based on fewer sample responses than in recent years. The collection period for these data occurred a year after the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic; in-person interviews were only conducted when telephone interviews could not be done. In March 2021, the response rate for the CPS basic household survey improved to about 76 percent from 73 percent a year earlier, though not quite returning to the prepandemic trend. For more information about the impact of the pandemic on ASEC data collection, see “Income and poverty in the United States: 2020,” Current Population Reports, P60-273 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2021), www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.pdf.

Estimates in this report are based on a sample and, consequently, may differ from estimates 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 supplement to the CPS, 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: 2020,” Current Population Reports, P60-273 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2021), www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.pdf.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services or the information voice phone at: (202) 691-5200.

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. This article is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission.

Concepts and definitions

Poverty classification 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 on the basis of factors such as family size and the number of children under 18 years of age.

The actual poverty thresholds vary with the makeup of the family. In 2020, the weighted average poverty threshold for a family of four was $26,496; for a family of nine or more people, the threshold was $53,905; and for one person (unrelated individual), it was $13,171. 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: 2020,”www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.pdf.

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 2020, the low-earnings threshold was $380.93 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, www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1989/10/art1full.pdf.

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: 2020,” www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.pdf.

The labor force refers to people 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.

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.

The working-poor 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 are people who, during at least 1 week of the year, worked fewer than 35 hours because of slack work, unfavorable 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 job in which a person worked the most weeks during the calendar year.

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.

The householder is the family reference person. This is the person, or one of the people, 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 Hispanic ethnicity of the family is determined by that of the householder.

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. Families include those with or without children under 18 years old. 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. Sub-families are excluded from the count of families. A sub-family is a family that does not maintain its own household, but lives in the home of someone else. Family status is determined at the time of the survey interview and, thus, may be different from that of the previous year. Families are further categorized as follows:

  • Married-couple families refer to opposite-sex and same-sex married couples residing together and any of their family members residing in the household.
  • Families maintained by men or women are made up of householders residing with one or more family members, but with no spouse of either sex present. Unmarried domestic partners of either sex may or may not be present in the household.

Beginning in 2018, the definition of married couples in this report includes both opposite-sex and same-sex married couples. Prior to 2018, married-couple families included opposite-sex married-couple families only. Therefore, beginning in 2018, estimates for married-couple families and families maintained by men or women may not be comparable to those from prior years because of the change in the definition of marital status.

Unrelated individuals are people who are not living with anyone related to them by birth, marriage, or adoption. Such individuals may live alone or live with other individuals to whom they may not be related. Beginning in 2018, estimates for unrelated individuals may not be comparable to those from prior years because of the change in the definition of marital status.

Related children refer to children under age 18 who are living in the household and are related to the householder. Included are own children (sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children) of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family, as well as other children related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. Beginning in 2018, estimates for related children may not be comparable to those from prior years because of the change in the definition of marital status.

Race is reported by the household respondent. White, Black or African American, and Asian are categories used to describe the race of people. People in these categories are those who selected that race group only. Data for the two remaining race categories—American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander—and for people who selected more than one race category are included in totals, but are not shown separately because the number of survey respondents is too small to develop estimates of sufficient quality for publication.

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity refers to people who identified themselves in the survey as being of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish ethnicity. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.