How well off are we? Quality of life can be measured by the things that we own, our ability to afford shelter, the safety of our neighborhoods, our health and nutrition, as well as our incomes. Two groups which score very low on many measures of material well-being are those whose family income is below the poverty line and those who participate in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. In fact, on all measures reported here, the poor are significantly worse off than the nonpoor. Additionally, on a majority of the measures, those participating in AFDC are worse off than those classified as income poor.

This brief report uses data collected in the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to present measures of material well-being for all persons in families, in families classified as poor, and in families who report receiving AFDC. Data are based on the 4-month period from September to December of 1992.

Others in Series

Publication

Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Income, 1991 to 1992

August 1995

This report uses data from SIPP to examine income for five different two-year periods.

Publication

Economic Characteristics of Households in the U.S.: Third Quarter 1984

October 1985

This report presents data on average monthly income and program participation for the third quarter of 1984 and relates these data to the labor force activity.

Publication

What's It Worth? Field of Training and Economic Status: 1993

March 01, 1990

This report presents data from the SIPP on the educational attainment and associated social, economic, and demographic characteristics of the population.

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Related Information

Well-Being Publications

Income & Poverty Publications

Survey of Income and Program Participation Publications

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