In 2023, about 13.7 percent of Texas's population lived below the poverty line. This was a slight decreae from the previous year. The poverty rate of the United States since 1990 can be accessed here.

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area in Texas was ranked first with 27.2 percent of its population living below the poverty level in 2023. Eagle Pass, Texas had the second-highest poverty rate, at 24.4 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Dallas County, TX (S1701ACS048113) from 2012 to 2023 about Dallas County, TX; Dallas; percent; poverty; TX; 5-year; population; and USA.

This is a historical measure for Strategic Direction 2023. For more data on Austin demographics please visit austintexas.gov/demographics.

This measure answers the question of what number and percentage of residents are living below the federal poverty level, which means they meet certain thresholds set by a set of parameters and computation performed by the Census Bureau. Following the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive 14, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps).

Data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Communities Survey (1yr), Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months (Table S1701). American Communities Survey (ACS) is a survey with sampled statistics on the citywide level and is subject to a margin of error. ACS sample size and data quality measures can be found on the U.S. Census website in the Methodology section.

View more details and insights related to this data set on the story page:https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/kgf9-tcgd

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Brazoria County, TX (S1701ACS048039) from 2012 to 2023 about Brazoria County, TX; Houston; percent; poverty; TX; 5-year; population; and USA.

Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Live Oak County, TX was 17.20% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Live Oak County, TX reached a record high of 21.10 in January of 2020 and a record low of 15.30 in January of 2015. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Live Oak County, TX - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

In 2023, Wildwood-The Villages metropolitan area in Florida was ranked first, with 39.3 percent of its population aged under 18 years living below the poverty level. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area in Texas had the second-highest rate of child poverty in the nation.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Percent of People Age 0-17 in Poverty for Bexar County, TX (PPU18TX48029A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2023 about Bexar County, TX; San Antonio; under 18 years; percent; child; poverty; TX; and USA.

This is a historical measure from Strategic Direction 2023.

Racially/Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (R/ECAPs) must have a non-white population of 50 percent or more. Regarding the poverty threshold, neighborhoods of extreme poverty are census tracts with 40 percent or more of individuals living at or below the poverty line. Calculation involved totaling the number and percentage of tracts that are meet criteria for RECAP. Learn more about the HUD RECAP calculation process here: http://hudgis-hud.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/56de4edea8264fe5a344da9811ef5d6e_0. Data collected from the HUD portal

View more details and insights related to this measure on the story page: https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/qn7g-mcec

Bellville, Texas Poverty Rate Statistics for 2023. Analyze over 60 metrics of the Bellville, Texas poverty database including by age, education, race, gender, work experience and more. In Bellville, Texas, an estimated 309 of 4,065 people live in poverty, which is 7.6%. Compared to the national average of 12.6%, the poverty rate in Bellville is 39.68% lower.

West Odessa, Texas Poverty Rate Statistics for 2023. Analyze over 60 metrics of the West Odessa, Texas poverty database including by age, education, race, gender, work experience and more. In West Odessa, Texas, an estimated 5,475 of 30,834 people live in poverty, which is 17.8%. Compared to the national average of 12.6%, the poverty rate in West Odessa is 41.27% higher.

Flower Mound, Texas Poverty Rate Statistics for 2023. Analyze over 60 metrics of the Flower Mound, Texas poverty database including by age, education, race, gender, work experience and more. In Flower Mound, Texas, an estimated 3,257 of 76,392 people live in poverty, which is 4.3%. Compared to the national average of 12.6%, the poverty rate in Flower Mound is 65.87% lower.

This graph shows the Percentage of households led by a female householder with no spouse present with own children under 18 years living in the household in the U.S. in 2021, by state. In 2021, about 4.24 percent of Californian households were single mother households with at least one child.

Additional information on single mother households and poverty in the United States

For most single mothers a constant battle persists between finding the time and energy to raise their children and the demands of working to supply an income to house and feed their families. The pressures of a single income and the high costs of childcare mean that the risk of poverty for these families is a tragic reality. Comparison of the overall United States poverty rate since 1990 with that of the poverty rate for families with a female householder shows that poverty is much more prevalent in the latter. In 2021, while the overall rate was at 11.6 percent, the rate of poverty for single mother families was 23 percent. Moreover, the degree of fluctuation tends to be lower for single female household families, suggesting the rate of poverty for these groups is less affected by economic conditions.

The sharp rise in the number of children living with a single mother or single father in the United States from 1970 to 2022 suggests more must be done to ensure that families in such situations are able to avoid poverty. Moreover, attention should also be placed on overall racial income inequality given the higher rate of poverty for Hispanic single mother families than their white or Asian counterparts.

Medicare is an important public health insurance scheme for U.S. adults aged 65 years and over. As of 2023, an estimated 18.9 percent of the U.S. population was covered by Medicare, an increase from the previous year. As of 2021, California, Florida, and Texas had the largest number of adults aged 65 years and older. The Medicare program Medicare has two primary parts: Medicare Part A covers hospital care and Medicare Part B covers medical and preventative services. Both parts of Medicare are available to those aged 65 years and older under certain conditions. Medicare premiums are variable and depend on the enrollee’s income. Despite a majority of the Medicare enrollees being above the federal poverty line, there are still several programs in place to help cover the costs of healthcare for the elderly. Opinions on elderly care in the U.S. It is estimated that about 23 percent of Medicare enrollees are in fair/poor health. But there are lots of questions about who should pay for or help with elderly care long-term. In a recent survey of U.S. adults, about half of the respondents said that health insurance companies should pay for elderly care. However, a majority of adults also supported a long-term government sponsored health plan like Medicaid. The issue is still hotly debated and politicized in the United States.