Children under 18 years represent 23 percent of the population, but they comprise 33 percent of all people in poverty. Among all children, 44 percent live in low-income families and approximately one in every five (22 percent) live in poor families. Being a child in a low-income or poor family does not happen by chance. Parental education and employment, race/ethnicity, and other factors are associated with children experiencing economic insecurity. This fact sheet describes the demographic, socio-economic, and geographic characteristics of children and their parents. It highlights the important factors that appear to distinguish low-income and poor children from their less disadvantaged counterparts

Ekono, Mercedes M.

Jiang, Yang

Skinner, Curtis

English

Columbia University Academic Commons

FA C T  S H E E TBasic Facts about Low-Income ChildrenChildren under 18 Years, 2013Yang Jiang | Mercedes Ekono | Curtis Skinner January 2015Children under 18 years represent 23 percent of the population, but they comprise 33 percent of all people in poverty.1 Among all children, 44 percent live in low-income families and approximately one in every five (22 percent) live in poor families. Being a child in a low-income or poor family does not happen by chance. Parental education and employment, race/ethnicity, and other factors are associated with children experiencing economic insecurity. This fact sheet describes the demographic, socio-economic, and geographic characteristics of children and their parents. It highlights the important factors that appear to distinguish low-income and poor children from their less disadvantaged counterparts.215 W. 125th Street, 3rd FloorNew York, NY  10027-4426Ph. 646-284-9600www.nccp.orgHow many children under age 18 years in the United States live in low-income families?There are more than 72 million children under age 18 years in the United States.u 44 percent – 31.8 million – live in low-income familiesu 22 percent – 15.8 million – live in poor familiesNote: Above low income is defined as at or above 200% of the federal poverty threshold (FPT), poor is defined as below 100% of FPT, and near poor is between 100% and 199% of the FPT. The low-income category includes both the poor and the near poor. Figure 1: Children by family income, 2013Low income44%Abovelow income56%Near poor22%Poor22%2The percentage of children living in low-income families (both poor and near poor) has been on the rise – increasing from 39 percent in 2007 to 44 percent in 2013 (Figure 2). During this time period, the overall number of children of all ages increased by less than one percent, while the numbers who were low income and poor increased by 13 percent and 23 percent, respectively (Table 1). Has the percentage of children living in low-income and poor families changed over time?What is the 2013 federal poverty threshold (FPT)?2 u $23,624 for a family of four with two childrenu $18,751 for a family of three with one childu $16,057 for a family of two with one child Is a poverty-level income enough to support a family?Research suggests that, on average, families need an income equal to about two times the federal poverty threshold to meet their most basic needs.3 Families with incomes below this level, such as families making below the following incomes, are referred to as low income:u $47,248 for a family of four with two childrenu $37,502 for a family of three with one childu $32,114 for a family of two with one childThese dollar amounts approximate the average minimum income families need to make ends meet, but actual expenses vary greatly by locality.  In 2013, economic security for a family of four required about $89,600 in Washington, DC; $62,200 in Akron, Ohio; $59,558 in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and $50,725 in Tunica County, Mississippi.4Table 1: Percentage change of children living in low-income and poor   families, 2007–2013 2007 2013 Percent changeLow income 28,236,002 31,820,739 13%Poor 12,867,473 15,770,127 23%051015202530354045502013201220112010200920082007Percent (%)Figure 2: Children living in low-income and poor families, 2007–201322%44%18%39%Near Poor 100–199% FPTPoor Less than 100% FPT 3How do children compare to the rest of the population?The percentage of all children under age 18 years in low-income families surpasses that of adults. In addition, children are more than twice as likely as adults 65 years and older to live in poor families (Figure 3).Does the percentage of children in low-income families vary by children’s age?The overall percentages of chil-dren under 18 years who live in low-income and poor families are 44 percent and 22 percent respec-tively, yet there is variation by age group. Younger children are more likely to live in low-income and poor families than older children (Figure 4).u	47 percent of children under age 3 years – 5.3 million – live in low-income familiesu	48 percent of children age 3 through 5 years – 5.8 million – live in low-income families   u	45 percent of children age 6 through 11 years – 10.9 million – live in low-income familiesu	41 percent of children age 12 through 17 years – 9.9 million – live in low-income families0 20 40 60 80 10065+years18–64yearsLess than18 yearsFigure 3: Family income by age, 2013Above low incomeNear poorPoor9%14%22%24%19%22%67%66%56%Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.Low income  44%Low income  34%Low income  33%Percent (%)Figure 4: Percentage of children in low-income and poor families by age, 2013PoorLow income0102030405012–17 years6–11 years3–5 yearsUnder 3 years41%9.9 million45%10.9 million48%5.8 million47%5.3 million19%4.7 million22%5.4 million24%3.0 million25%2.7 million4Does the percentage of children in low-income families vary by race/ethnicity? As Figure 5 illustrates, the percentages of low-income and poor children under 18 vary by race and ethnicity: whites comprise the largest share of all low-income children (37 percent, 11.7 million) while Hispanics make up the largest share of poor children (35 percent, 5.6 million).5 Black, American Indian, and Hispanic children are dispropor-tionately low income and poor (Figure 6). u	31 percent of white children – 11.7 million – live in low-income familiesu	65 percent of black children – 6.4 million – live in low-income familiesu	63 percent of Hispanic children – 11.0 million – live in low-income familiesu	31 percent of Asian children – 1.1 million – live in low-income familiesu	63 percent of American Indian children – 0.3 million – live in low-income familiesu	43 percent of children of some other race – 1.4 million – live in low-income familiesDoes the percentage of children in low-income families vary by parents’ nativity?6u	55 percent of children of immigrant parents – 9.7 million – live in low-income familiesu	41 percent of children of native-born parents – 22.1 million – live in low-income familiesPercent (%)Figure 5: Race/ethnicity by family income, 20131%1%1%020406080100WhiteBlackHispanicAsianAmerican IndianOtherPoorLow incomeTotal32%37%52%35%34%24%24%20%14%5%4%5% 3%3%5%Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.010203040506070OtherAmericanIndianAsianHispanicBlackWhitePercent (%)Figure 6: Percentage of children in low-income and poor families  by race/ethnicity, 2013PoorLow income43%63%63%31%65%31%22%32%36%13%39%13% 5Parents’ Education7Higher levels of parental educa-tion decrease the likelihood that a child will live in a low-income or poor family. Among children with at least one parent who has some college or additional education, 31 percent live in low-income and 13 percent in poor families. By contrast, among children whose parents have less than a high school degree, 86 percent live in low-income and 55 percent in poor families (Figure 7).u	86 percent of children with parents who have less than a high school degree – 6.8 million – live in low-income familiesu	67 percent of children with parents who have a high school degree but no college education – 9.4 million – live in low-income familiesu	31 percent of children with at least one parent who has some college or additional education – 15.6 million – live in low-income familiesAt the same time, significant shares of low-income and poor families with children are headed by parents with at least some college education, as shown in Figure 8.Parents’ Employment8Children with a full-time, year-round employed parent are less likely to live in a low-income family, compared to children with parents who work part time or part year or who are not em-ployed (Figure 7).u	31 percent of children with at least one parent who works full time, year round – 15.9 million – live in low-income familiesu	9 percent of children with at least one parent who works full time, year round – 4.5 million – live in poor familiesu	74 percent of children with no parent who works full time, but at least one parent who works part time or part year – 9.8 mil-lion – live in low-income familiesu	48 percent of children with no parent who works full time, but at least one parent who works part time or part year – 6.3 million – live in poor familiesu	88 percent of children with no employed parents – 6.1 million – live in low-income familiesu	72 percent of children with no employed parents – 4.9 million – live in poor familiesWhat are the family characteristics of low-income and poor children?020406080100Somecollegeor moreHighschooldegreeLess thanhigh schooldegreeNotemployedPart-timeorpart-yearFull-time,year-roundPercent (%)Figure 7: Percentage of children in low-income and poor families by parents’  employment and education, 2013PoorLow income88%72%74%48%9%31% 31%67%35%86%55%13%Percent (%)Figure 8: Parents’ education by family income, 2013020406080100PoorLow incomeSome collegeor moreHigh school degreeLess than high school degree28%22%31%30%41%49%Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.6Nevertheless, many low-income and poor children have parents who work full time. Half (50 per-cent) of low-income children and 29 percent of poor children live with at least one parent employed full time, year round. Family StructureAbout one-half of children (48 percent) in low-income families – 15.2 million – and 36 percent of children in poor families – 5.7 million – live with married parents. Children who live with married parents are much less likely to be poor or low income, compared to children who live with a single parent.u	32 percent of all children residing with married parents – 15.2 million – live in low-income familiesu	12 percent of all children residing with married parents – 5.7 million – live in poor familiesu	69 percent of all children residing with a single parent – 16.7 million – live in low-income familiesu	42 percent of all children residing with a single parent – 10 million – live in poor familiesDoes the percentage of children in low-income families vary by where they live?RegionThe percentage of children in low-income families varies substantially by region.u	37 percent of children in the Northeast – 4.4 million – live in low-income familiesu	42 percent of children in the Midwest – 6.4 million – live  in low-income familiesu	48 percent of children in the South – 13.2 million – live  in low-income familiesu	45 percent of children in the West – 7.9 million – live in low-income familiesResidential Instability and Home OwnershipResearch suggests that stable housing is important for healthy child development.9 However, children living in low-income families are nearly twice as likely as other children to have moved in the past year and nearly three times as likely to live in families who rent, rather than own, their homes (Figure 10).u	20 percent of children in low-income families – 6.3 million – moved in the last yearu	11 percent of children in families above the low-income threshold – 4.5 million – moved in the last yearu	63 percent of children in low-income families – 20.2 million – live with families who rent their homesDCFigure 9: Percentage of children in low-income families by region, 2013South48% Northeast37%West45%Midwest42% 7u	22 percent of children in families above the low-income threshold – 8.8 million – live with families who rent their homesAre children in low-income families covered by health insurance?Among all children under age 18, approximately 10 percent living in low-income families and 9 percent living in poor families are with-out health insurance coverage.10 Consistent with research suggest-ing older children in general are particularly at risk of being un-insured, children age 12 through 17 years in low-income and poor families are more likely to be uninsured compared to younger children in low-income and poor families (Figure 11).11 Public insurance reaches the largest share of economically disadvantaged children, covering 68 percent of low-income children and 81 per-cent of poor children (Figure 12).u	10 percent of children living in low-income families – 3.1 million – are uninsured u	27 percent of children living in low-income families – 8.5 million – are covered by private insurance u	68 percent of children living in low-income families – 21.7 million – are covered by public insurance010203040506070Above low incomeLow incomePercent (%)Figure 10: Residential instability and home ownership by family income, 2013Rent housingMoved within one year63%20% 22%11%Percent (%)Figure 12: Type of health insurance coverage among all children  by family income, 2013PublicPrivate020406080100PoorLow income27%68%81%15%Percent (%)Figure 11: Percentage of children uninsured in low-income and poor families  by age, 2013PoorLow income024681012141612–17 years6–11 years3–5 yearsUnder3 yearsTotal under18 years10%13%9%8%7%9%12%8%7%6%8EndnotesTo find comparable information for infants and toddlers, see Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 3 Years, 2013; for young children, see Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 6 Years, 2013; for children in middle childhood, see Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children 6 through 11 Years, 2013; for adolescent children, see Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children 12 through 17 Years, 2013.This fact sheet is part of the National Center for Children in Poverty’s demographic fact sheet series and is updated annually. Unless otherwise noted, analysis of the 2013 American Community Survey (ACS) was conducted by Yang Jiang and Mercedes Ekono of NCCP. Estimates include children living in households with at least one parent and most children living apart from both parents (for example, children being raised by grandparents). Children living independently, living with a spouse, or in group quarters are excluded from these data. Children age 14 years and under living with only unrelated adults are not included because data on their income status are not available. Among children who do not live with at least one parent, parental characteristics are those of the householder and/or the householder’s spouse. We would like to thank Renée Wilson-Simmons, NCCP director, for her advice on this fact sheet. Special thanks to Telly Valdellon for layout and production.1. In this fact sheet, poverty is defined as family income less than 100 percent of the federal poverty threshold, as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau; low income is defined as family income less than 200 percent of the poverty threshold. 2. The U.S. Census Bureau issues the poverty thresholds annually. Thresholds vary by family size and composition. See https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshld/ for the complete 2013 poverty thresholds. 3. Cauthen, Nancy K. & Fass, Sarah (2008). Measuring Income and Poverty in the United States. New York: National Center for Children in Poverty, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Re-trieved November 2014 from http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_825.pdf.4. Estimates from the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator. Retrieved November 2014 from http://www.epi.org/resources/budget/?gclid=CODoyqHhlsICFVNp7AodSnoAWg.5. In the most recent ACS, parents could report children’s race as one or more of the following: “White,” “Black,” “American Indian or Alaska Native,” or “Asian and/or Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.” In a separate question, parents could report whether their children were of Hispanic origin. For the data reported, children whose parent reported their race as White, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Asian and/or Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and their ethnicity as non-Hispanic are assigned their respective race. Children who were reported to be of more than one race were assigned as Other. Children whose parent identified them as Hispanic were categorized as Hispanic, regardless of their reported race. 6. The variable “native-born parents” is defined to mean that both parents in the family were born in the U.S. or its territories, or born abroad to American parent(s). The variable “immigrant parents” is defined to mean that at least one parent in the family is either a U.S. citizen by naturalization or is not a citizen of the U.S. 7. Parents’ education is defined as the education level of the most highly educated parent living in the household. Parents can either have no high school degree, a high school degree but no college, or some college or more.8. Parents’ employment is defined as the employment level of the parent in the household who maintained the highest level of employment in the previous year. Parents can either have no employment in the previous year, part-year or part-time employment, or full-time, year-round employment. Part-year or part-time employment is defined as either working less than 50 weeks in the previous year or less than 35 hours per week. Full-time, year-round employment is defined as working at least 50 weeks in the previous year and 35 hours or more per week.9. Aratani, Yumiko (2009). Homeless Children and Youth. New York: National Center for Children in Poverty, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Retrieved November 2014 from http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_888.pdf.10. People can report more than one type of insurance coverage. Children not covered by private or public health insurance at the time of the survey are considered uninsured.11. Schwarz, Susan Wile (2009). Adoles-cent Mental Health in the United States. New York: National Center for Children in Poverty, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Retrieved November 2014 from http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_878.pdf. SuggeSTeD CITATIOnJiang, Y., ekono, M., & Skinner, C. (2015). Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 18 Years, 2013. new York: national Center for Children in Poverty, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia university.

Basic Facts about Low-income Children, Children under 18 Years, 2013

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Basic Facts about Low-income Children, Children under 18 Years, 2013

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