This statistic represents the tax burden of the poorest 20 percent in the U.S. in year 2018, by state. The tax rate is the total average state and local taxes as a percentage of income. In 2018, the poorest 20 percent in Washington paid almost 17.8 percent of their family income as a tax.

Out of all OECD countries, Cost Rica had the highest poverty rate as of 2022, at over 20 percent. The country with the second highest poverty rate was the United States, with 18 percent. On the other end of the scale, Czechia had the lowest poverty rate at 6.4 percent, followed by Denmark.

The significance of the OECD

The OECD, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, was founded in 1948 and is made up of 38 member countries. It seeks to improve the economic and social well-being of countries and their populations. The OECD looks at issues that impact people’s everyday lives and proposes policies that can help to improve the quality of life.

Poverty in the United States

In 2022, there were nearly 38 million people living below the poverty line in the U.S.. About one fourth of the Native American population lived in poverty in 2022, the most out of any ethnicity. In addition, the rate was higher among young women than young men. It is clear that poverty in the United States is a complex, multi-faceted issue that affects millions of people and is even more complex to solve.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States (PPAAUS00000A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2023 about percent, child, poverty, and USA.

In 2023, the poverty rate of the United States was around 11.4 percent. Louisiana was the state with the highest poverty rate, at 18.9 percent. Poverty rates in the United States are higher than in many parts of the world, and minority groups are much more likely to be living in poverty when compared to white people.

In 2023, 17.9 percent of Black people living in the United States were living below the poverty line, compared to 7.7 percent of white people. That year, the total poverty rate in the U.S. across all races and ethnicities was 11.1 percent. Poverty in the United States Single people in the United States making less than 12,880 U.S. dollars a year and families of four making less than 26,500 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.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

Effective governments improve people's standard of living by ensuring access to essential services – health, education, water and sanitation, electricity, transport – and the opportunity to live and work in peace and security. Data here includes World Bank staff assessments of country performance in economic management, structural policies, policies for social inclusion and equity, and public sector management and institutions for the poorest countries. Also included are indicators on revenues and expenses from the International Monetary Fund's Government Finance Statistics, and on tax policies from various sources.

United States - Population Ages 15 to 64 for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 54.70078 % of Total in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Population Ages 15 to 64 for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 54.70078 in January of 2020 and a record low of 50.97326 in January of 1988. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Population Ages 15 to 64 for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

United States - Population Ages 0 to 14 for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 42.22912 % of Total in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Population Ages 0 to 14 for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 45.98815 in January of 1988 and a record low of 42.22207 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Population Ages 0 to 14 for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

United States - Gross National Income for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 780110064246.94100 Current $ in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Gross National Income for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 780110064246.94100 in January of 2020 and a record low of 23527111104.68150 in January of 1967. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Gross National Income for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

United States - Population, Total for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 823480038.00000 Persons in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Population, Total for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 823480038.00000 in January of 2020 and a record low of 161734348.00000 in January of 1960. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Population, Total for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

Effective governments improve people's standard of living by ensuring access to essential services – health, education, water and sanitation, electricity, transport – and the opportunity to live and work in peace and security. Data here includes World Bank staff assessments of country performance in economic management, structural policies, policies for social inclusion and equity, and public sector management and institutions for the poorest countries. Also included are indicators on revenues and expenses from the International Monetary Fund's Government Finance Statistics, and on tax policies from various sources.

United States - Youth Unemployment Rate for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 10.58% in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Youth Unemployment Rate for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 10.58 in January of 2020 and a record low of 9.18 in January of 1997. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Youth Unemployment Rate for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 4.61982 Births per Woman in January of 2019, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 6.91318 in January of 1978 and a record low of 4.61982 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

United States - Mobile Cellular Subscriptions in Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 82.16450 Number per 100 People in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Mobile Cellular Subscriptions in Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 82.16450 in January of 2020 and a record low of 0.00000 in January of 1965. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Mobile Cellular Subscriptions in Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Out of all 50 states, New York had the highest per-capita real gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, at 90,730 U.S. dollars, followed closely by Massachusetts. Mississippi had the lowest per-capita real GDP, at 39,102 U.S. dollars. While not a state, the District of Columbia had a per capita GDP of more than 214,000 U.S. dollars. What is real GDP? A country’s real GDP is a measure that shows the value of the goods and services produced by an economy and is adjusted for inflation. The real GDP of a country helps economists to see the health of a country’s economy and its standard of living. Downturns in GDP growth can indicate financial difficulties, such as the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, when the U.S. GDP decreased by 2.5 percent. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on U.S. GDP, shrinking the economy 2.8 percent. The U.S. economy rebounded in 2021, however, growing by nearly six percent. Why real GDP per capita matters Real GDP per capita takes the GDP of a country, state, or metropolitan area and divides it by the number of people in that area. Some argue that per-capita GDP is more important than the GDP of a country, as it is a good indicator of whether or not the country’s population is getting wealthier, thus increasing the standard of living in that area. The best measure of standard of living when comparing across countries is thought to be GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) which uses the prices of specific goods to compare the absolute purchasing power of a countries currency.

United States - Secure Internet Servers for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 23.84636 Number per 1 Mil. People in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Secure Internet Servers for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 23.84636 in January of 2020 and a record low of 0.31371 in January of 2006. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Secure Internet Servers for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Honduras was the country in Latin America with the highest share of population living on less than 3.20 U.S. dollars per day. The Central American nation had 26.4 percent of its population living on less than 3.20 U.S. dollars a day, while Colombia came second highest with 14 percent. On the other hand, Uruguay had only 0.8 percent of poverty headcount ratio, featured as the lowest share in the region.

The average for 2023 based on 30 countries was 51644 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Luxembourg: 132847 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Albania: 18244 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

United States - of Female to Male Tertiary School Enrollment for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 0.74088 Ratio in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - of Female to Male Tertiary School Enrollment for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 0.74088 in January of 2020 and a record low of 0.54105 in January of 1979. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - of Female to Male Tertiary School Enrollment for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

In 2021, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the city with the highest poverty rate of the United States' most populated cities. In this statistic, the cities are sorted by poverty rate, not population. The most populated city in 2021 according to the source was New York city - which had a poverty rate of 18 percent.