There is also additional background information for this table group.

Contents for Table

Table 2. Percent of Persons in Poverty, by Definition of Income and Selected Characteristics: 2007

    Percent Below Poverty Level
  Before taxes
  Money income  
Population Total
(thousands)		 Excluding capital gains (current measure)
Definition 1		 Definition 1 less government transfers
Definition 2		 Definition 2 plus capital gains
Definition 3		 Definition 3 plus health insurance supplements to wage or salary income
Definition 4

White alone or in combination
Total 243864 10.6 18.4 18.3 17.8

Age
Under 18 years 58591 15.0 17.0 17.0 16.1
  Related children 57615 14.5 16.6 16.6 15.7
      Under 6 years 19423 17.4 19.0 18.9 18.0
18 to 24 years 22634 15.4 17.6 17.6 17.1
25 to 44 years 65899 9.5 11.5 11.5 11.0
45 to 64 years 64653 7.3 13.1 13.0 12.6
65 years and over 32088 8.2 46.6 45.8 45.6
  65 to 74 years 16826 7.0 38.1 37.5 37.3
  75 years and over 15261 9.4 55.9 55.0 54.8

Family Relationship
In families 200005 8.9 15.2 15.1 14.5
  Married-couple families 160583 5.5 11.6 11.5 11.1
      With related children under 18 95163 7.2 8.8 8.7 8.2
  Female hhlder, no husband present 28241 26.7 34.8 34.6 33.5
      With related children under 18 19836 34.6 40.0 39.9 38.4
Unrelated individuals 42553 18.0 33.0 32.7 32.5
  Living alone 26344 15.1 36.9 36.4 36.2
      65 years and over 9764 15.5 64.0 63.1 63.0

Region
Northeast 44212 9.6 17.8 17.7 17.3
Midwest 56572 9.0 16.8 16.6 16.1
South 84730 11.5 20.0 19.8 19.3
West 58350 11.6 18.3 18.1 17.5

Educational Attainment
Total, 18 years and over 185273 9.2 18.9 18.7 18.3
18 to 24 years old 22634 15.4 17.6 17.6 17.1
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 4359 24.7 27.8 27.7 27.1
25 years old and over 162639 8.4 19.1 18.9 18.5
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 21003 22.7 43.9 43.5 42.6
  High school graduate, no college 50889 9.2 23.8 23.6 23.0
  College: Less than bachelor's degree 42491 6.1 14.9 14.7 14.4
  Bachelor's degree or more 48256 3.2 6.9 6.8 6.7

Work Experience in 2007
Total, 20 to 64 years 146957 9.2 12.9 12.8 12.4
  Worked at full-time jobs 100701 3.6 4.4 4.4 4.1
      50 to 52 weeks 86032 2.2 2.7 2.7 2.4
  Worked at part-time jobs 18336 13.2 17.0 16.9 16.2
  Did not work 27920 26.9 40.8 40.5 39.8

Program Participation Status of Household Members
One or more members received:
Cash assistance 10177 39.8 61.7 61.4 60.3
    Public assistance or
 welfare non-SSI 		3207 58.1 70.7 70.3 69.2
    SSI 7525 33.8 59.4 59.1 58.0
  Food stamps 14532 58.9 71.7 71.6 70.1
  Housing assistance 5197 53.8 75.5 75.2 74.0
  Energy assistance 4858 51.2 72.6 72.3 70.4
  Free or reduced-price sch. lunch 22554 39.5 46.1 46.1 44.3
Household received both food stamps
  and cash assistance 		4849 63.4 84.4 84.2 83.2

Health Insurance Coverage
Covered by:
  Plan related to employment
    of self or relative 		149029 2.4 5.0 4.9 4.2
  Medicare 35464 10.1 49.9 49.1 48.8
      Also Medicaid 3987 28.6 69.0 68.1 67.7
  Medicaid 28041 37.3 50.3 50.1 49.2
Not covered 34923 23.8 27.7 27.7 27.4

 

  Percent Below Poverty Level
After taxes
Definition 4 less Social Security payroll taxes
Definition 5		 Definition 5 less Federal income taxes
Definition 6		 Definition 6 plus Earned Income Tax Credit
Definition 7		 Definition 7 less state income taxes
Definition 8		 Definition 8 plus nonmeans- tested government cash transfers
Definition 9

White alone or in combination
Total 18.7 18.6 17.3 17.3 10.1

Age
Under 18 years 17.6 16.8 14.2 14.1 12.6
  Related children 17.1 16.3 13.7 13.7 12.1
      Under 6 years 19.7 18.9 15.7 15.7 14.6
18 to 24 years 18.3 18.7 17.5 17.5 15.6
25 to 44 years 11.9 11.7 10.3 10.4 8.8
45 to 64 years 13.2 13.3 12.8 12.9 7.9
65 years and over 46.2 46.3 46.2 46.3 8.9
  65 to 74 years 37.9 38.0 37.8 37.9 7.7
  75 years and over 55.3 55.6 55.4 55.5 10.2

Family Relationship
In families 15.5 15.1 13.7 13.7 8.0
  Married-couple families 11.9 11.5 10.4 10.4 4.7
      With related children under 18 9.3 8.6 6.8 6.8 5.6
  Female hhlder, no husband present 35.2 35.1 31.5 31.5 25.0
      With related children under 18 40.4 40.0 35.1 35.0 31.3
Unrelated individuals 33.1 33.9 33.6 33.8 19.5
  Living alone 36.6 37.1 36.8 37.0 16.4
      65 years and over 63.4 63.7 63.7 63.8 16.8

Region
Northeast 18.0 17.9 16.9 16.9 9.4
Midwest 16.8 16.7 15.8 15.8 8.5
South 20.3 20.2 18.7 18.8 10.9
West 18.7 18.4 16.9 17.0 11.1

Educational Attainment
Total, 18 years and over 19.0 19.1 18.3 18.4 9.3
18 to 24 years old 18.3 18.7 17.5 17.5 15.6
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 28.6 28.8 26.4 26.5 24.5
25 years old and over 19.1 19.2 18.4 18.5 8.5
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 44.2 44.0 41.6 41.9 22.9
  High school graduate, no college 23.9 23.9 23.1 23.2 9.5
  College: Less than bachelor's degree 15.0 15.0 14.4 14.4 6.2
  Bachelor's degree or more 7.0 7.0 6.8 6.8 3.2

Work Experience in 2007
Total, 20 to 64 years 13.2 13.2 12.2 12.3 9.2
  Worked at full-time jobs 4.7 4.7 3.9 4.0 3.3
      50 to 52 weeks 2.9 2.9 2.2 2.2 1.9
  Worked at part-time jobs 17.6 18.0 16.5 16.7 13.4
  Did not work 40.8 40.7 39.5 39.5 27.8

Program Participation Status of Household Members
One or more members received:
Cash assistance 62.0 61.6 59.3 59.3 50.7
    Public assistance or
 welfare non-SSI 		71.1 70.9 67.6 67.6 62.8
    SSI 59.8 59.4 57.6 57.7 47.6
  Food stamps 73.0 71.9 65.8 65.8 57.1
  Housing assistance 75.0 74.9 70.9 71.0 53.9
  Energy assistance 72.9 71.8 66.2 66.5 51.3
  Free or reduced-price sch. lunch 47.9 45.8 38.8 38.7 33.7
Household received both food stamps
  and cash assistance 		84.9 84.8 82.0 82.1 74.5

Health Insurance Coverage
Covered by:
  Plan related to employment
    of self or relative 		4.5 4.5 4.2 4.2 1.9
  Medicare 49.4 49.6 49.4 49.5 11.3
      Also Medicaid 68.3 68.4 68.0 68.0 37.8
  Medicaid 51.4 50.2 45.7 45.6 36.5
Not covered 29.9 29.7 26.4 26.7 23.0

 

  Percent Below Poverty Level
After taxes
Definition 9 plus Medicare
Definition 10		 Definition 10 plus regular-price school lunches
Definition 11		 Definition 11 plus means-tested government cash transfers
Definition 12		 Definition 12 plus Medicaid
Definition 13		 Definition 13 plus other means-tested government noncash transfers
Definition 14

White alone or in combination
Total 9.8 9.8 9.3 8.9 8.2

Age
Under 18 years 12.4 12.4 12.0 11.2 10.0
  Related children 12.0 12.0 11.6 10.8 9.6
      Under 6 years 14.5 14.5 14.1 13.2 12.1
18 to 24 years 15.4 15.4 15.1 14.5 14.0
25 to 44 years 8.7 8.7 8.3 7.9 7.3
45 to 64 years 7.5 7.5 6.8 6.6 6.1
65 years and over 8.0 8.0 7.3 7.3 6.8
  65 to 74 years 6.8 6.8 6.3 6.2 5.8
  75 years and over 9.3 9.3 8.5 8.4 7.9

Family Relationship
In families 7.8 7.7 7.3 6.9 6.3
  Married-couple families 4.6 4.6 4.3 4.0 3.7
      With related children under 18 5.6 5.5 5.3 4.8 4.3
  Female hhlder, no husband present 24.5 24.5 23.1 22.1 19.6
      With related children under 18 30.9 30.8 29.3 28.0 24.7
Unrelated individuals 18.7 18.7 17.8 17.3 16.4
  Living alone 15.4 15.4 14.3 14.1 12.9
      65 years and over 15.3 15.3 14.0 13.9 12.7

Region
Northeast 9.0 9.0 8.3 7.8 7.1
Midwest 8.2 8.2 7.9 7.5 6.9
South 10.6 10.6 10.2 9.8 9.2
West 10.8 10.7 10.2 9.7 8.9

Educational Attainment
Total, 18 years and over 9.0 9.0 8.5 8.1 7.6
18 to 24 years old 15.4 15.4 15.1 14.5 14.0
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 24.1 24.1 23.6 22.4 21.0
25 years old and over 8.1 8.1 7.5 7.2 6.7
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 21.8 21.8 20.2 19.2 17.5
  High school graduate, no college 8.9 8.9 8.4 8.0 7.5
  College: Less than bachelor's degree 5.9 5.9 5.5 5.3 4.9
  Bachelor's degree or more 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.8

Work Experience in 2007
Total, 20 to 64 years 8.9 8.9 8.5 8.1 7.6
  Worked at full-time jobs 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.7
      50 to 52 weeks 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.6
  Worked at part-time jobs 13.2 13.2 12.7 12.3 11.4
  Did not work 26.8 26.8 24.9 23.9 22.5

Program Participation Status of Household Members
One or more members received:
Cash assistance 47.5 47.4 36.7 33.2 26.8
    Public assistance or
 welfare non-SSI 		60.9 60.9 54.2 48.9 38.9
    SSI 43.6 43.4 30.8 27.6 22.4
  Food stamps 55.1 55.1 50.8 45.8 37.0
  Housing assistance 50.2 50.2 44.7 40.0 25.7
  Energy assistance 48.9 48.9 44.1 40.3 33.3
  Free or reduced-price sch. lunch 33.1 33.1 31.7 29.1 24.6
Household received both food stamps
  and cash assistance 		71.1 71.1 58.4 52.7 40.7

Health Insurance Coverage
Covered by:
  Plan related to employment
    of self or relative 		1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.7
  Medicare 9.7 9.7 8.6 8.5 7.7
      Also Medicaid 30.9 30.9 22.7 21.2 17.2
  Medicaid 35.2 35.2 31.8 28.5 24.5
Not covered 22.7 22.6 22.4 22.0 21.1

 

  Percent Below Poverty Level
After taxes
Definition 14 plus net imputed return on equity in own home
Definition 15		 Definition 14 less medical programs
Definition 16		 Money Income after Taxes Without EIC
Definition 17		 Money Income after Taxes With EIC
Definition 18

White alone or in combination
Total 7.8 8.6 11.2 9.9

Age
Under 18 years 9.9 10.5 15.5 12.6
  Related children 9.5 10.0 15.0 12.2
      Under 6 years 12.0 12.7 18.1 14.7
18 to 24 years 13.9 14.5 16.8 15.8
25 to 44 years 7.1 7.6 10.2 8.8
45 to 64 years 5.7 6.5 7.9 7.4
65 years and over 5.4 7.1 8.2 8.2
  65 to 74 years 4.8 6.2 7.2 7.1
  75 years and over 6.2 8.1 9.4 9.4

Family Relationship
In families 6.1 6.6 9.3 7.8
  Married-couple families 3.5 3.9 5.7 4.7
      With related children under 18 4.3 4.6 7.5 5.8
  Female hhlder, no husband present 19.3 20.2 27.9 24.1
      With related children under 18 24.4 25.5 35.9 30.6
Unrelated individuals 15.2 17.2 19.4 19.1
  Living alone 11.0 13.1 15.7 15.6
      65 years and over 9.1 12.7 15.7 15.7

Region
Northeast 7.0 7.6 10.0 9.2
Midwest 6.5 7.2 9.5 8.4
South 8.8 9.5 12.2 10.8
West 8.4 9.3 12.4 10.8

Educational Attainment
Total, 18 years and over 7.2 8.0 9.9 9.1
18 to 24 years old 13.9 14.5 16.8 15.8
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 20.8 22.2 26.7 24.5
25 years old and over 6.2 7.1 8.9 8.1
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 15.9 18.6 23.8 21.6
  High school graduate, no college 6.8 7.9 9.9 9.1
  College: Less than bachelor's degree 4.7 5.2 6.5 5.9
  Bachelor's degree or more 2.7 2.9 3.4 3.2

Work Experience in 2007
Total, 20 to 64 years 7.3 8.0 10.0 9.0
  Worked at full-time jobs 2.7 2.9 4.3 3.5
      50 to 52 weeks 1.6 1.6 2.8 2.1
  Worked at part-time jobs 11.0 11.8 14.7 13.3
  Did not work 21.5 23.9 27.4 26.2

Program Participation Status of Household Members
One or more members received:
Cash assistance 25.6 30.1 40.7 38.6
    Public assistance or
 welfare non-SSI 		38.0 43.4 59.6 55.3
    SSI 21.0 25.4 34.4 33.1
  Food stamps 35.5 39.6 60.8 53.8
  Housing assistance 25.7 27.3 54.7 49.5
  Energy assistance 30.5 35.6 52.6 47.4
  Free or reduced-price sch. lunch 23.9 26.1 41.0 33.4
Household received both food stamps
  and cash assistance 		39.4 45.2 65.1 61.2

Health Insurance Coverage
Covered by:
  Plan related to employment
    of self or relative 		1.6 1.7 2.7 2.3
  Medicare 6.4 8.4 10.1 10.0
      Also Medicaid 15.1 19.8 28.7 28.3
  Medicaid 23.5 26.7 38.1 33.3
Not covered 20.6 21.6 25.9 22.8

 

  Number Below Poverty Level
Definition 1 Definition 2 Definition 3 Definition 4 Definition 5 Definition 6 Definition 7 Definition 8 Definition 9

White alone or in combination
Total 25864 44983 44618 43342 45570 45242 42143 42277 24662

Age
Under 18 years 8771 9990 9962 9451 10285 9826 8291 8278 7356
  Related children 8366 9579 9554 9060 9874 9414 7913 7899 6981
      Under 6 years 3389 3683 3669 3505 3826 3675 3056 3052 2838
18 to 24 years 3491 3993 3987 3867 4141 4235 3957 3970 3524
25 to 44 years 6239 7586 7584 7217 7828 7709 6796 6872 5828
45 to 64 years 4748 8471 8384 8162 8502 8605 8271 8315 5090
65 years and over 2616 14944 14700 14645 14813 14867 14828 14843 2864
  65 to 74 years 1184 6411 6308 6279 6373 6387 6367 6370 1301
  75 years and over 1432 8533 8392 8366 8440 8480 8461 8473 1563

Family Relationship
In families 17704 30423 30178 29035 30950 30296 27400 27418 15917
  Married-couple families 8764 18700 18517 17770 19043 18439 16732 16769 7533
      With related children under 18 6861 8352 8324 7768 8807 8147 6470 6487 5350
  Female hhlder, no husband present 7542 9826 9779 9453 9949 9911 8902 8889 7063
      With related children under 18 6862 7932 7911 7621 8023 7943 6966 6942 6218
Unrelated individuals 7664 14042 13927 13816 14106 14445 14286 14402 8310
  Living alone 3967 9709 9581 9540 9640 9780 9705 9757 4308
      65 years and over 1514 6253 6160 6155 6189 6217 6217 6229 1642

Region
Northeast 4261 7885 7844 7649 7941 7932 7464 7476 4176
Midwest 5081 9520 9416 9117 9525 9467 8923 8944 4793
South 9763 16926 16773 16388 17213 17082 15875 15966 9221
West 6759 10652 10584 10188 10892 10762 9881 9892 6472

Educational Attainment
Total, 18 years and over 17093 34993 34655 33891 35285 35416 33852 33999 17306
18 to 24 years old 3491 3993 3987 3867 4141 4235 3957 3970 3524
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 1078 1210 1210 1181 1248 1255 1149 1154 1067
25 years old and over 13602 31000 30668 30024 31144 31181 29895 30029 13782
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 4765 9216 9129 8953 9282 9231 8743 8806 4815
  High school graduate, no college 4704 12134 11990 11722 12142 12180 11751 11793 4809
  College: Less than bachelor's degree 2598 6335 6265 6117 6361 6370 6108 6131 2619
  Bachelor's degree or more 1536 3316 3284 3232 3360 3399 3293 3299 1539

Work Experience in 2007
Total, 20 to 64 years 13584 18976 18883 18198 19369 19418 17969 18103 13535
  Worked at full-time jobs 3654 4479 4481 4107 4741 4760 3920 4003 3297
      50 to 52 weeks 1936 2284 2295 2050 2490 2473 1873 1920 1647
  Worked at part-time jobs 2416 3110 3100 2973 3227 3294 3026 3063 2463
  Did not work 7514 11387 11302 11119 11400 11364 11023 11037 7775

Program Participation Status of Household Members
One or more members received:
Cash assistance 4055 6280 6245 6133 6308 6268 6034 6036 5157
    Public assistance or
 welfare non-SSI 		1863 2267 2254 2219 2280 2272 2168 2167 2015
    SSI 2543 4469 4445 4366 4500 4468 4335 4339 3579
  Food stamps 8561 10423 10403 10187 10604 10449 9558 9556 8300
  Housing assistance 2796 3922 3909 3845 3899 3893 3686 3690 2799
  Energy assistance 2489 3525 3513 3422 3542 3487 3218 3232 2492
  Free or reduced-price sch. lunch 8908 10394 10408 9995 10809 10332 8748 8720 7590
Household received both food stamps
  and cash assistance 		3075 4093 4084 4036 4119 4110 3977 3980 3614

Health Insurance Coverage
Covered by:
  Plan related to employment
    of self or relative 		3643 7428 7322 6294 6762 6733 6212 6242 2760
  Medicare 3573 17701 17416 17320 17519 17597 17527 17543 4012
      Also Medicaid 1140 2752 2714 2701 2725 2726 2712 2712 1506
  Medicaid 10446 14103 14037 13788 14416 14074 12813 12795 10246
Not covered 8324 9681 9673 9584 10452 10387 9216 9321 8021

 

  Number Below Poverty Level
Definition 10 Definition 11 Definition 12 Definition 13 Definition 14 Definition 15 Definition 16 Definition 17 Definition 18

White alone or in combination
Total 23889 23868 22716 21627 19978 19058 20932 27355 24213

Age
Under 18 years 7284 7268 7038 6573 5881 5797 6127 9085 7411
  Related children 6911 6896 6666 6214 5534 5451 5771 8666 7028
      Under 6 years 2819 2815 2739 2556 2353 2335 2457 3513 2860
18 to 24 years 3478 3478 3421 3289 3167 3150 3282 3814 3567
25 to 44 years 5730 5727 5482 5201 4806 4707 5019 6726 5817
45 to 64 years 4833 4830 4421 4237 3944 3663 4233 5086 4796
65 years and over 2564 2564 2355 2327 2180 1741 2271 2645 2623
  65 to 74 years 1142 1142 1058 1040 980 800 1037 1208 1195
  75 years and over 1422 1422 1297 1288 1200 941 1235 1437 1427

Family Relationship
In families 15519 15498 14699 13842 12584 12185 13190 18618 15626
  Married-couple families 7321 7312 6928 6363 5897 5687 6297 9231 7521
      With related children under 18 5288 5278 5087 4547 4110 4076 4401 7172 5481
  Female hhlder, no husband present 6916 6905 6517 6252 5549 5439 5714 7881 6793
      With related children under 18 6129 6117 5817 5559 4900 4837 5055 7128 6062
Unrelated individuals 7938 7938 7588 7373 6994 6473 7333 8239 8141
  Living alone 4069 4069 3778 3702 3388 2902 3462 4141 4101
      65 years and over 1491 1491 1370 1358 1239 890 1245 1528 1528

Region
Northeast 3998 3996 3675 3467 3146 3094 3342 4413 4060
Midwest 4663 4655 4446 4232 3902 3659 4067 5357 4750
South 8948 8948 8640 8276 7757 7416 8082 10360 9129
West 6280 6269 5955 5652 5173 4890 5441 7225 6274

Educational Attainment
Total, 18 years and over 16605 16599 15679 15054 14097 13261 14805 18270 16802
18 to 24 years old 3478 3478 3421 3289 3167 3150 3282 3814 3567
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 1050 1050 1029 975 916 905 966 1164 1070
25 years old and over 13126 13121 12258 11765 10930 10111 11523 14456 13235
  Less than 12th grade, no diploma 4581 4579 4241 4027 3666 3347 3900 5005 4539
  High school graduate, no college 4551 4551 4253 4071 3796 3473 4014 5061 4642
  College: Less than bachelor's degree 2508 2506 2336 2265 2100 1986 2196 2758 2522
  Bachelor's degree or more 1487 1485 1428 1402 1367 1304 1413 1632 1532

Work Experience in 2007
Total, 20 to 64 years 13150 13145 12455 11886 11124 10730 11713 14663 13277
  Worked at full-time jobs 3259 3256 3169 2973 2744 2700 2874 4314 3506
      50 to 52 weeks 1624 1622 1587 1476 1354 1363 1416 2397 1825
  Worked at part-time jobs 2415 2413 2322 2249 2093 2021 2158 2689 2443
  Did not work 7477 7475 6965 6663 6287 6010 6681 7659 7328

Program Participation Status of Household Members
One or more members received:
Cash assistance 4835 4823 3734 3376 2729 2610 3060 4142 3928
    Public assistance or
 welfare non-SSI 		1953 1953 1737 1569 1246 1219 1391 1912 1773
    SSI 3279 3268 2320 2076 1684 1580 1912 2585 2488
  Food stamps 8007 8007 7382 6660 5378 5155 5755 8839 7817
  Housing assistance 2609 2609 2324 2080 1337 1337 1418 2842 2573
  Energy assistance 2377 2377 2141 1960 1616 1480 1730 2555 2305
  Free or reduced-price sch. lunch 7470 7470 7155 6561 5542 5382 5894 9243 7529
Household received both food stamps
  and cash assistance 		3449 3449 2831 2555 1971 1910 2190 3154 2969

Health Insurance Coverage
Covered by:
  Plan related to employment
    of self or relative 		2724 2722 2661 2621 2484 2396 2512 4019 3389
  Medicare 3441 3441 3064 3002 2734 2284 2996 3599 3557
      Also Medicaid 1230 1230 903 845 686 603 790 1144 1127
  Medicaid 9884 9872 8903 7995 6876 6593 7489 10678 9345
Not covered 7915 7905 7827 7673 7369 7186 7531 9058 7968

Race Footnotes