In 2024, approximately 10.6 percent of the population was living below the national poverty line in the United States. This reflected a 0.5 percentage point decrease from the previous year. Most recently, poverty levels in the country peaked in 2010 at just over 15 percent. Poverty in the U.S. States The number of people living in poverty in the U.S. as well as poverty rates, vary greatly from state to state. With their large populations, California and Texas led that charts in terms of the size of their impoverished residents. On the other hand, Louisiana had the highest rates of poverty, standing at 20 percent in 2024. The state with the lowest poverty rate was New Hampshire at 5.9 percent. Vulnerable populations The poverty rate in the United States varies widely across different ethnic groups. American Indians and Alaska Natives are the ethnic group with the highest levels of poverty in 2024, with about 19 percent earning an income below the official threshold. In comparison, only about 7.5 percent of the White (non-Hispanic) and Asian populations were living below the poverty line. Children are one of the most poverty endangered population groups in the U.S. between 1990 and 2024. Child poverty peaked in 1993 with 22.7 percent of children living in poverty. Despite fluctuations, in 2024, poverty among minors reached its lowest level in decades, falling to 14.3 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States (PPAAUS00000A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2024 about percent, child, poverty, and USA.

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 2024, 8.1 percent of the families in the U.S. lived in poverty, reflecting a slight decrease from the previous year. The poverty rate of families in the last years has a decrease from a peak of almost 12 percent in 2012.

Historical dataset showing U.S. poverty rate by year from 1963 to 2023.

In 2024, about **** percent of children under the age of 18 were living below the poverty line in the United States. This reflected a decrease of *** percentage point from the previous year. Over the observed period, a historic decrease in child poverty was recorded in 2019 at **** percent.

In 2023 the poverty rate in the United States was highest among people between 18 and 24, with a rate of 16 percent for male Americans and a rate of 21 percent for female Americans. The lowest poverty rate for both men and women was for those aged between 45 and 54. What is the poverty line? The poverty line is a metric used by the U.S. Census Bureau to define poverty in the United States. It is a specific income level that is considered to be the bare minimum a person or family needs to meet their basic needs. If a family’s annual pre-tax income is below this income level, then they are considered impoverished. The poverty guideline for a family of four in 2021 was 26,500 U.S. dollars. Living below the poverty line According to the most recent data, almost one-fifth of African Americans in the United States live below the poverty line; the most out of any ethnic group. Additionally, over 7.42 million families in the U.S. live in poverty – a figure that has held mostly steady since 1990, outside the 2008 financial crisis which threw 9.52 million families into poverty by 2012. The poverty gender gap Wage inequality has been an ongoing discussion in U.S. discourse for many years now. The poverty gap for women is most pronounced during their child-bearing years, shrinks, and then grows again in old age. While progress has been made on the gender pay gap over the last 30 years, there are still significant disparities, even in occupations that predominantly employ men. Additionally, women are often having to spend more time attending to child and household duties than men.

Graph and download economic data for Poverty Status of People by Age: 65 Years and Over, Below Poverty Threshold (HSTPOVAR65YOBPPP) from 1959 to 2024 about 65-years +, age, percent, poverty, persons, and USA.

In 2024, **** percent of Black people living in the United States were living below the poverty line, compared to *** percent of white people. That year, the overall poverty rate in the U.S. across all races and ethnicities was **** percent. Poverty in the United States The poverty threshold for a single person in the United States was measured at an annual income of ****** U.S. dollars in 2023. Among families of four, the poverty line increases to ****** U.S. dollars a year. Women and children are more likely to suffer from poverty. This is due to the fact that women are more likely than men to stay at home, to care for children. Furthermore, the gender-based wage gap impacts women's earning potential. Poverty data Despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the United States has some of the highest poverty rates among OECD countries. While, the United States poverty rate has fluctuated since 1990, it has trended downwards since 2014. Similarly, the average median household income in the U.S. has mostly increased over the past decade, except for the covid-19 pandemic period. Among U.S. states, Louisiana had the highest poverty rate, which stood at some ** percent in 2024.

Graph and download economic data for Estimate of People Age 0-17 in Poverty in United States (PEU18US00000A647NCEN) from 1989 to 2024 about under 18 years, child, poverty, persons, and USA.

The US Poverty Level Statistics dataset includes percentages and numbers of persons and children below the poverty level in the United States by race between 1973 and 2016.

In 2024, about 35.9 million Americans were living below the poverty line. This reflected a decrease of over 900,000 people compared to the previous year. The number of people living in poverty peaked in 2014, but trended downwards until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Historical dataset showing Central America poverty rate by year from N/A to N/A.

United States US: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 1.200 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.000 % for 2013. United States US: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 0.700 % from Dec 1979 (Median) to 2016, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.200 % in 2016 and a record low of 0.500 % in 1991. United States US: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.90 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

Historical dataset showing Virgin Islands (U.S.) poverty rate by year from N/A to N/A.

This map shows the percent of population who live below the Federal poverty line. This pattern is shown by states, counties, and tracts. The data is from the most current American Community Survey (ACS) data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Poverty guidelines are defined by the Census annually. For more information about the poverty line, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines or the Census' "How the U.S. Census Bureau Measures Poverty".The pop-up highlights the population in poverty by different age groups. Zoom to any area in the country to see a local or regional pattern, or use one of the bookmarks to see distinct patterns of poverty in various cities. Data is available for the 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. This map uses these hosted feature layers containing the most recent American Community Survey data. These layers are part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas, and are updated every year when the American Community Survey releases new estimates, so values in the map always reflect the newest data available.

Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States was 12.10% in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States reached a record high of 15.90 in January of 2011 and a record low of 11.30 in January of 2000. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on February of 2026.

In 2024, Louisiana had the highest poverty rate among U.S. states at ** percent. It was followed by Mississippi and Alabama. The state with the lowest poverty rate was New Hampshire at *** percent. The overall poverty rate of the United States stood at around **** percent that year.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in District of Columbia (S1701ACS011001) from 2012 to 2024 about DC, Washington, percent, poverty, 5-year, population, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Rich County, UT (S1701ACS049033) from 2012 to 2024 about Rich County, UT; UT; percent; poverty; 5-year; population; and USA.