DEC. 15, 2022 — The median estimated poverty rate for school-age children in all U.S. school districts in 2021 was 14.5%, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The new data come from the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program, which provides the only up-to-date, single-year income and poverty statistics for all of the nation’s 3,142 counties and 13,157 school districts.

SAIPE statistics are used to allocate funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. School districts receive Title I funds based on their number and percentage of low-income children. The U.S. Department of Education plans to use the 2021 estimates to calculate fiscal year 2023 allocations for Title I and several other federal education programs to provide funding to states and school districts in the 2023-2024 school year.

Additional tables provide statistics on median household income, the number of people of all ages in poverty, the number of children younger than age 5 in poverty at the state level, the number of children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty, and the number of children younger than age 18 in poverty. At the school district level, estimates are available for the total population, the number of children ages 5 to 17, and the number of children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty.

Income

• In 2021, county-level median household income ranged from $25,653 to $153,716, with a median income of $56,634 for all counties.
• Median household income had a statistically significant increase in 3.4% of counties and a statistically significant decrease in 8.2% of counties from 2020 to 2021.
• Compared with 2007, the year before the Great Recession, 23.8% of counties had a statistically significant increase and 3.0% had a statistically significant decrease in median household income in 2021.

Poverty

• In 2021, the county-level poverty rate ranged from 2.9% to 43.9%, with a median poverty rate of 13.6% for all counties.
• The poverty rate had a statistically significant decrease in 0.9% of counties and a statistically significant increase in 7.9% of counties from 2020 to 2021.
• Compared with 2007, 6.5% of counties had a statistically significant decrease and 4.9% had a statistically significant increase in poverty in 2021.
• In 2021, the county-level poverty rate for school-age children (ages 5 to 17) ranged from 2.4% to 61.1%, with a median rate of 17.8%.

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