In 2023, **** percent of Black people living in the United States were living below the poverty line, compared to *** percent of white people. That year, the total poverty rate in the U.S. across all races and ethnicities was **** percent. Poverty in the United States Single people in the United States making less than ****** U.S. dollars a year and families of four making less than ****** U.S. dollars a year are considered to be below the poverty line. Women and children are more likely to suffer from poverty, due to women staying home more often than men to take care of children, and women suffering from the gender wage gap. Not only are women and children more likely to be affected, racial minorities are as well due to the discrimination they face. Poverty data Despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the United States had the third highest poverty rate out of all OECD countries in 2019. However, the United States' poverty rate has been fluctuating since 1990, but has been decreasing since 2014. The average median household income in the U.S. has remained somewhat consistent since 1990, but has recently increased since 2014 until a slight decrease in 2020, potentially due to the pandemic. The state that had the highest number of people living below the poverty line in 2020 was California.

In 2023, 15.4 percent of Black families were living below the poverty line in the United States. Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing, and shelter.

In the U.S., the share of the population living in poverty fluctuated significantly throughout the six decades between 1987 and 2023. In 2023, the poverty level across all races and ethnicities was 11.1 percent. Black Americans have been the ethnic group with the highest share of their population living in poverty almost every year since 1974. In 1979 alone, Black poverty was well over double the national average, and over four times the poverty rate in white communities; in 1982, almost 48 percent of the Black population lived in poverty. Although poverty rates have been trending downward across all ethnic groups, 17.8 percent of Black Americans and 18.9 percent of American Indian and Alaskan Natives still lived below the poverty line in 2022.

In 2023, there were about 336,000 Black married-couple families living below the poverty level in the United States. Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter.

The Census Bureau determines that a person is living in poverty when his or her total household income compared with the size and composition of the household is below the poverty threshold. The Census Bureau uses the federal government's official definition of poverty to determine the poverty threshold. Beginning in 2000, individuals were presented with the option to select one or more races. In addition, the Census asked individuals to identify their race separately from identifying their Hispanic origin. The Census has published individual tables for the races and ethnicities provided as supplemental information to the main table that does not dissaggregate by race or ethnicity. Race categories include the following - White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Some other race, and Two or more races. We are not including specific combinations of two or more races as the counts of these combinations are small. Ethnic categories include - Hispanic or Latino and White Non-Hispanic. This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates, table B17001. The ACS collects these data from a sample of households on a rolling monthly basis. ACS aggregates samples into one-, three-, or five-year periods. CTdata.org generally carries the five-year datasets, as they are considered to be the most accurate, especially for geographic areas that are the size of a county or smaller.Poverty status determined is the denominator for the poverty rate. It is the population for which poverty status was determined so when poverty is calculated they exclude institutionalized people, people in military group quarters, people in college dormitories, and unrelated individuals under 15 years of age.Below poverty level are households as determined by the thresholds based on the criteria of looking at household size, Below poverty level are households as determined by the thresholds based on the criteria of looking at household size, number of children, and age of householder.number of children, and age of householder.

In 1990, 48.1 percent of all Black families with a single mother in the United States lived below the poverty level. In 2023, that figure had decreased to 25.9 percent. This is significantly higher than white households with a single mother. Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter.

This dataset contains R/ECAP data for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Region at the census tract level.

To assist communities in identifying racially/ethnically-concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAPs), HUD has developed a census tract-based definition of R/ECAPs.

To assist communities in identifying racially/ethnically-concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAPs), HUD has developed a census tract-based definition of R/ECAPs. The definition involves a racial/ethnic concentration threshold and a poverty test. The racial/ethnic concentration threshold is straightforward: R/ECAPs must have a non-white population of 50 percent or more. Regarding the poverty threshold, Wilson (1980) defines neighborhoods of extreme poverty as census tracts with 40 percent or more of individuals living at or below the poverty line. Because overall poverty levels are substantially lower in many parts of the country, HUD supplements this with an alternate criterion. Thus, a neighborhood can be a R/ECAP if it has a poverty rate that exceeds 40% or is three or more times the average tract poverty rate for the metropolitan/micropolitan area, whichever threshold is lower. Census tracts with this extreme poverty that satisfy the racial/ethnic concentration threshold are deemed R/ECAPs.

Data Source: Decennial census (2010); American Community Survey (ACS), 2006-2010; Brown Longitudinal Tract Database (LTDB) based on decennial census data, 2000 & 1990 References: Wilson, William J. (1980). The Declining Significance of Race: Blacks and Changing American Institutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Data Source: American Community Survey (ACS), 2009-2013; Decennial Census (2010); Brown Longitudinal Tract Database (LTDB) based on decennial census data, 1990, 2000 & 2010.

Related AFFH-T Local Government, PHA Tables/Maps: Table 4, 7; Maps 1-17.

Related AFFH-T State Tables/Maps: Table 4, 7; Maps 1-15, 18.

References: Wilson, William J. (1980). The Declining Significance of Race: Blacks and Changing American Institutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Black Hawk County, IA (S1701ACS019013) from 2012 to 2023 about Black Hawk County, IA; Waterloo; IA; poverty; percent; 5-year; population; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for Black Hawk County, IA (PPAAIA19013A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2023 about Black Hawk County, IA; Waterloo; IA; child; poverty; percent; and USA.

This map shows child poverty in the US by county, with an emphasis on the Black children living in poverty.The darkest colors in the map highlight where there are a higher percentage of Black children living in poverty. The symbol size shows the count of all children living in poverty. The data comes from County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, measure the health of nearly all counties in the nation and rank them within states. The layer used in the map comes from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, and the full documentation for the layer can be found here. To explore other child poverty patterns, visit the following maps:Where is Black child poverty higher than total child poverty?Which race has the highest rate of child poverty?

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Percent of Related Children Age 5-17 in Families in Poverty for Black Hawk County, IA (PP5T17IA19013A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2023 about Black Hawk County, IA; Waterloo; 5 to 17 years; IA; family; percent; child; poverty; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for 90% Confidence Interval Lower Bound of Estimate of Percent of Related Children Age 5-17 in Families in Poverty for Black Hawk County, IA (PPCILB5T17IA19013A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2023 about Black Hawk County, IA; Waterloo; 5 to 17 years; IA; family; percent; child; poverty; and USA.

Disclaimer: This application is a DRAFT and is still under development. A look at the Equity Atlas Poverty indicator in Dallas using the methodology described below. Poverty (S1701)

Each scored category represents 20% of the total population of the City of Dallas.

A score of 5 represents that the percentage of people in poverty is between 23.4% - 80.4%..

A score of 4 represents the percentage of people in poverty is between 16.4% - 23.4%.

A score of 3 represents that the percentage of people in poverty is between 9.9% - 16.3%.

A score of 2 represents that the percentage of people in poverty is between 5.1% - 9.8%.

A score of 1 represents the percentage of people in poverty is between 0.4% - 5%.

Parameter

Data Field

Data Source

American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate 2018-2022

POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

All people that are living in poverty

Estimated percent of all people that are living in poverty as of 2018-2022

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

White people who lived in poverty

Estimated percent of all White people who lived in poverty between 2018-2022

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

Black or African American people who lived in poverty

Estimated percent of all Black or African American people who lived in poverty between 2018-2022

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

Asian people who lived in poverty

Estimated percentage of all Asian people who lived in poverty between 2018-2022

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

American Indian and Alaskan Native people who lived in poverty

Estimated percent of all American Indian and Alaskan Native people who lived in poverty between 2018-2022

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander people who were living in poverty

Estimated percent of all Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander people who were living in poverty between 2018-2022

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

people of Some Other Race living in poverty

Estimated percent of all people of "Some Other Race" living in poverty between 2018-2022

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

people of two or more races living below the poverty level

Estimated percent of all people of "two or more races" living below the poverty level between 2018-2022

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

Hispanic or Latino people who were living in poverty

Estimated percentage of all Hispanic or Latino people who were living in poverty between 2018-2022

U.S. Census Bureau, Table: S1701

In 2023, there were about 211,000 Black families with a single father living below the poverty level in the United States. Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter.

To assist communities in identifying racially/ethnically-concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAPs), HUD has developed a census tract-based definition of R/ECAPs. The definition involves a racial/ethnic concentration threshold and a poverty test. The racial/ethnic concentration threshold is straightforward: R/ECAPs must have a non-white population of 50 percent or more. Regarding the poverty threshold, Wilson (1980) defines neighborhoods of extreme poverty as census tracts with 40 percent or more of individuals living at or below the poverty line. Because overall poverty levels are substantially lower in many parts of the country, HUD supplements this with an alternate criterion. Thus, a neighborhood can be a R/ECAP if it has a poverty rate that exceeds 40% or is three or more times the average tract poverty rate for the metropolitan/micropolitan area, whichever threshold is lower. Census tracts with this extreme poverty that satisfy the racial/ethnic concentration threshold are deemed R/ECAPs. This translates into the following equation: Where i represents census tracts, () is the metropolitan/micropolitan (CBSA) mean tract poverty rate, is the ith tract poverty rate, () is the non-Hispanic white population in tract i, and Pop is the population in tract i.While this definition of R/ECAP works well for tracts in CBSAs, place outside of these geographies are unlikely to have racial or ethnic concentrations as high as 50 percent. In these areas, the racial/ethnic concentration threshold is set at 20 percent.

Data Source: American Community Survey (ACS), 2009-2013; Decennial Census (2010); Brown Longitudinal Tract Database (LTDB) based on decennial census data, 1990, 2000 & 2010.

Related AFFH-T Local Government, PHA Tables/Maps: Table 4, 7; Maps 1-17. Related AFFH-T State Tables/Maps: Table 4, 7; Maps 1-15, 18.

References:Wilson, William J. (1980). The Declining Significance of Race: Blacks and Changing American Institutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

To learn more about R/ECAPs visit:https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/affh ; https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/FHEO/documents/AFFH-T-Data-Documentation-AFFHT0006-July-2020.pdf, for questions about the spatial attribution of this dataset, please reach out to us at GISHelpdesk@hud.gov. Date of Coverage: 11/2017

Although the American Community Survey (ACS) produces population, demographic and housing unit estimates, it is the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program that produces and disseminates the official estimates of the population for the nation, states, counties, cities, and towns and estimates of housing units for states and counties..Supporting documentation on code lists, subject definitions, data accuracy, and statistical testing can be found on the American Community Survey website in the Technical Documentation section.Sample size and data quality measures (including coverage rates, allocation rates, and response rates) can be found on the American Community Survey website in the Methodology section..Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see ACS Technical Documentation). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables..The Hispanic origin and race codes were updated in 2020. For more information on the Hispanic origin and race code changes, please visit the American Community Survey Technical Documentation website..The 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) data generally reflect the March 2020 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delineations of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. In certain instances the names, codes, and boundaries of the principal cities shown in ACS tables may differ from the OMB delineations due to differences in the effective dates of the geographic entities..Estimates of urban and rural populations, housing units, and characteristics reflect boundaries of urban areas defined based on Census 2010 data. As a result, data for urban and rural areas from the ACS do not necessarily reflect the results of ongoing urbanization..Explanation of Symbols:- The estimate could not be computed because there were an insufficient number of sample observations. For a ratio of medians estimate, one or both of the median estimates falls in the lowest interval or highest interval of an open-ended distribution. For a 5-year median estimate, the margin of error associated with a median was larger than the median itself.N The estimate or margin of error cannot be displayed because there were an insufficient number of sample cases in the selected geographic area. (X) The estimate or margin of error is not applicable or not available.median- The median falls in the lowest interval of an open-ended distribution (for example "2,500-")median+ The median falls in the highest interval of an open-ended distribution (for example "250,000+").** The margin of error could not be computed because there were an insufficient number of sample observations.*** The margin of error could not be computed because the median falls in the lowest interval or highest interval of an open-ended distribution.***** A margin of error is not appropriate because the corresponding estimate is controlled to an independent population or housing estimate. Effectively, the corresponding estimate has no sampling error and the margin of error may be treated as zero.

[Disclaimer: This application is a DRAFT and is still under development. Your feedback is welcome.]Data Use: This map visualizes the levels of poverty across various tracts in Dallas, offering a clear picture of the economic challenges faced by different communities. By presenting data on the percentage of residents living below the poverty line, this dashboard helps users identify areas with high economic need. This understanding is vital for directing social services, economic development programs, and community support initiatives to where they are most needed, ultimately aiming to reduce poverty and improve quality of life for vulnerable populations.Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months," American Community Survey, ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S1701, 2022.Variables:S1701_C01_001E: Estimate Total Population for whom poverty status is determinedS1701_C03_001E: Estimate Percent below poverty level Population for whom poverty status is determinedS1701_C03_021E: Estimate Percent below poverty level: White alone, not Hispanic or LatinoS1701_C03_014E: Estimate Percent below poverty level: Black or African American aloneS1701_C03_015E: Estimate Percent below poverty level: American Indian and Alaska Native aloneS1701_C03_016E: Estimate Percent below poverty level: Asian aloneS1701_C03_017E: Estimate Percent below poverty level: Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander aloneS1701_C03_018E: Estimate Percent below poverty level: Some other race aloneS1701_C03_019E: Estimate Percent below poverty level: Two or more racesS1701_C03_020E: Estimate Percent below poverty level: Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race)S1701_C03_010E: Estimate Percent below poverty level: AGE 65 years and overPoverty_Rank: Poverty RankRank Scoring Process: Census tracts were grouped into quintiles based on the percentage of residents living below the poverty line (S1701_C03_001E).The scoring process categorizes each tract as follows:Score of 1: 0.4% - 5% (lowest poverty rates)Score of 2: 5.1% - 9.8%Score of 3: 9.9% - 16.3%Score of 4: 16.4% - 23.4%Score of 5: 23.4% - 80.4% (highest poverty rates)Year: 2022Provider: U.S. Census Bureau

2020 data excluded because the U.S. Census Bureau did not release 2020 ACS 1-year estimates due to COVID-19. Some racial and ethnic categories are suppressed to avoid misleading estimates when the relative standard error exceeds 30%.

Data Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates

Why This Matters

Poverty threatens the overall well-being of individuals and families, limiting access to stable housing, healthy foods, health care, and educational and employment opportunities, among other basic needs.Poverty is associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, including chronic physical and mental illness, lower life expectancy, developmental delays, and others.

Racist policies and practices have contributed to racial economic inequities. Nationally, Black, Indigenous, and people of color experience poverty at higher rates than white Americans, on average.

The District's Response

Boosting assistance programs that provide temporary cash and health benefits to help low-income residents meet their basic needs, including Medicaid, TANF For District Families, SNAP, etc.

Housing assistance and employment and career training programs to support resident’s housing and employment security. These include the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Permanent Supportive Housing vouchers, Career MAP, the DC Infrastructure Academy, among other programs and services.

Creation of the DC Commission on Poverty to study poverty issues, evaluate poverty reduction initiatives, and make recommendations to the Mayor and the Council.

ACS 1-year estimates are based on data collected over one calendar year, offering more current information but with a higher margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates combine five years of data, providing more reliable information but less current. Both are based on probability samples. Some racial and ethnic categories are suppressed to avoid misleading estimates when the relative standard error exceeds 30%.

Data Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 1- & 5-Year Estimates

Why This Matters

Poverty threatens the overall well-being of individuals and families, limiting access to stable housing, healthy foods, health care, and educational and employment opportunities, among other basic needs.Poverty is associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, including chronic physical and mental illness, lower life expectancy, developmental delays, and others.

Racist policies and practices have contributed to racial economic inequities. Nationally, Black, Indigenous, and people of color experience poverty at higher rates than white Americans, on average.

The District's Response

Boosting assistance programs that provide temporary cash and health benefits to help low-income residents meet their basic needs, including Medicaid, TANF For District Families, SNAP, etc.

Housing assistance and employment and career training programs to support resident’s housing and employment security. These include the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Permanent Supportive Housing vouchers, Career MAP, the DC Infrastructure Academy, among other programs and services.

Creation of the DC Commission on Poverty to study poverty issues, evaluate poverty reduction initiatives, and make recommendations to the Mayor and the Council.

This map highlights child poverty in the US by which race has the highest percentage of children in poverty. The pattern is shown by county, and the popup provides a breakdown of child poverty rates by race (where available). Note that not all counties have data for all races, so the map will show the predominant value based on the data available.The data comes from County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, measure the health of nearly all counties in the nation and rank them within states. The layer used in the map comes from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, and the full documentation for the layer can be found here. To explore other child poverty patterns, visit the following maps:Where is Black child poverty higher than total child poverty?Black Children in Poverty in the US