About 23 million persons were below the low-income level in 1973 comprising 11 percent of the United States population, according to the results of the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted in March 1974 by the Bureau of the Census. This figure is 1.5 million or 6.1 percent below the 1972 figure. There were about 4.8 million families and 4.7 million unrelated individuals (persons living alone or with nonrelatives) below the low-income level in 1973. Both of these figures were below the 1972 levels.

In 1973, the low-income or poverty threshold—the income level which separates "poor" from "nonpoor"—was $4,540 for a nonfarm family of four; it was $4,275 in 1972, and $2,973 in 1959, the first year for which data on the low-income population are available.¹ These thresholds are updated every year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

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¹ See page 2 for a more detailed explanation of the low-income definition.

A Note on Language

Census statistics date back to 1790 and reflect the growth and change of the United States. Past census reports contain some terms that today’s readers may consider obsolete and inappropriate. As part of our goal to be open and transparent with the public, we are improving access to all Census Bureau original publications and statistics, which serve as a guide to the nation's history.

Others in Series

Publication

Income & Educational Attainment of Men for Selected Years 1956 to 1972

March 1974

This report includes annual mean income, estimates of expected lifetime income in current & in constant (1972) dollars, by educational attainment and age group.

Publication

Money Income in 1973 of Families and Persons (Advance report)

July 1974

This report presents statistics on money income in 1973 of families and persons in the United States, by selected characteristics.

Publication

Supplementary Report on the Low-Income Population: 1966 to 1972

July 1974

This report presents detailed social and economic statistics for the population of the United States below the low-income level in 1966 to 1972.

View All

Related Information

Income & Poverty Publications

Current Population Survey Publications

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021

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