America Counts: Stories about Income & Poverty

America Counts Story

Coastal and Large Counties More Distressed Than Other U.S. Areas

Two government measures of communities’ distress, based on different social and economic factors, show which counties are most vulnerable when disasters hit.

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Low-Income Renters Spent Larger Share of Income on Rent in 2021

The percentage of household income spent on rent plus utilities increased from 2019 to 2021 and renters with the lowest annual income saw the largest spikes.

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How Have State Official Poverty Rates Changed Over 10 Years?

A new Census Bureau historical table shows that 40 states and the District of Columbia had lower official poverty rates in 2019-2021 than in 2009-2011.

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Volunteering in America: New U.S. Census Bureau, AmeriCorps Research

A Census Bureau and AmeriCorps survey provides the most comprehensive data on volunteering and civic engagement by state and within the largest 12 metro areas.

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Nearly One in Three Mississippians Eligible for Food Assistance

An updated visualization shows characteristics of those who receive or are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in counties in several states.

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The Stories U.S. Census Bureau Data Told in 2022

A look at some of the America Counts stories that revealed shifts in our population, from growing diversity and declining poverty to where and how we live.

America Counts Story

U.S. Poverty Rates Differ by Age and County

The South had the highest share of counties with child poverty rates of 40% or more, according to the 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

America Counts Story

Homeownership by Young Households Below Pre-Great Recession Levels

Homeownership among households headed by adults ages 25-34 was highest at the start of the Great Recession and had not returned to those high levels in 2019.

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How Resilient Are Communities Along the U.S.-Mexico Border?

The Community Resilience Estimates show that more people living in the 44 counties along the U.S.-Mexico border are less resilient than the nation as a whole.

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U.S. Poverty Rate Is 12.8% but Varies Significantly by Age Groups

The poverty rate for the nation’s oldest and youngest populations was significantly different than the national rate.

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How Marital Status and Children Affect Social Safety Net Participation

An updated interactive data tool allows users to explore household composition and expanded age categories of those who received government benefits in 2020.

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Dificultades materiales y desigualdades de riqueza entre grupos hispanos

En el Mes de la Herencia Hispana, nuevos datos de la Oficina del Censo destacan las diferencias en el bienestar de los grupos de origen hispano.

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Hardships and Wealth Disparities Across Hispanic Groups

During National Hispanic Heritage Month, we analyze new U.S. Census Bureau data that looks at differences in well-being across detailed Hispanic origin groups.

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Who Is Impacted by Student Loan Forgiveness and How?

New Survey of Income and Program Participation data show who has student loan debt and how much they had after the COVID-19 pause in payments.

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Uninsured Rate Declined in 28 States 2019-2021

Today’s release of the 2021 American Community Survey 1-year estimates shows increase in public health coverage in 36 states.

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2021 Income Inequality Increased for First Time Since 2011

U.S. Census Bureau’s income data released today show widening income inequality from 2020 to 2021.

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Child Poverty Fell to Record Low 5.2% in 2021

In 2021, child poverty rates measured by Supplemental Poverty Measure were the lowest since 2009 for all race and Hispanic origin categories examined.

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Full-Time, Year-Round Workers More Likely to be Uninsured in 2021

The uninsured rate of those who worked less than full time, year-round dropped 1.2 percentage points from 2020 to 2021 as public coverage increased.

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Government Assistance Lifts 45.4 Million Out of Poverty in 2021

The 2021 U.S. official poverty rate of 11.6% was not statistically different from 2020 but the Supplemental Poverty Measure at 7.8% was lowest on record.

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Uninsured Rate of U.S. Children Fell to 5.0% in 2021

A 1.2 percentage point increase in Medicaid and CHIP coverage drove drop in children’s uninsured rate between 2020 and 2021.

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Who Has Retirement Accounts?

The Survey of Income and Program Participation shows how many people are saving for retirement.

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Wealth Inequality in the U.S. by Household Type

Census data show persistent inequalities in household wealth in 2019: 38.7% of households did not own a home, and 41.2% did not have a retirement account.

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Children Continue to be More Involved in Some Extracurricular Activities

New U.S. Census Bureau historical tables show both girls and boys are taking more lessons and playing more sports than in 1998.

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Teachers Are Among Most Educated, Yet Their Pay Lags

New U.S. Census Bureau data visualization shows median earnings for elementary, middle school and high school teachers by educational attainment, sex and age.

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More Than One Million Americans Report Ukrainian Ancestry

Census Bureau data provide a demographic and socioeconomic portrait of people born in Ukraine and those who report Ukrainian ancestry.

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Do Young Workers Still Have Summer Jobs?

As the school year ends, the prospect of summer jobs for youths rises but there’s been a declining overall trend in young people working during summer months.

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The Opportunity Project Tackles Six New Challenges to Help Communities

New challenges include finding ways to support children in Puerto Rico and help communities transition to renewable energy.

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Who Is Receiving Social Safety Net Benefits?

A new data tool allows users to explore thousands of social safety statistics 2013-2019 and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of recipients.

America Counts Story

Mapping Digital Equity in Every State

The new Digital Equity Act Population Viewer will help meet the funding goals of the Digital Equity Act of 2021.

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Exploring Census Data Made Easy

The new Census Survey Explorer provides a quick and comprehensive list of surveys by topic, geography and frequency.

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Less Hunger in At-Risk Households During Pandemic Expansion of School Meals Program

Participation rates in free school lunch programs remain higher for lower income children even when program was expanded during the pandemic.

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Census Data Tool Helps FEMA Better Understand Disaster Vulnerability

The U.S. Census Bureau’s Community Resilience Estimates (CRE) tool helps FEMA better understand “at-risk” populations during a natural disaster.

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What Is the Gender Wage Gap in Your State?

A new Census Bureau interactive visualization shows the gender wage gap for selected occupations in the states and Puerto Rico.

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Harder to Pay the Bills Now That Child Tax Credit Payments Have Ended

As Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments ended in December, more households with children reported struggling to cover household expenses.

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Dim Job Outlook for People Released From Prison During Great Recession

People convicted of a felony or released from prison are less likely to find work than adults without high school degrees or similar criminal histories.

America Counts Story

Gender Pay Gap Widens as Women Age

A U.S. Census Bureau tool, Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) Explorer, illustrates increases in the gender pay gap as women age.