14.3%
2024 (latest)
CHILD POVERTY RATE
percent of people under 18 below the official poverty line · 1959–2024 · lower is better · Census Bureau, CPS ASEC Historical Poverty Table 3
27.3%
1959
27.3%
high · 1959
14.0%
low · 1969
−13 pts
since 1959
┊ dashed lines mark 1979 Oil shock & inflation peak · 1987 Black Monday crash · 1991 Gulf War recession · 2001 Dot-com bust & 9/11 · 2008 Global financial crisis · 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Method & caveats. Official poverty measure, all people under 18, all races (Table 3, column 'Percent in poverty'). Census footnotes the 2013 redesigned income questions, 2017 processing change, and 1987/1992 weighting changes; where a year appears twice the row on the newer basis is used.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-people.html
- https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/time-series/historical-poverty-people/hstpov3.xlsx
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Societal-Health
Data
| Year | Child Poverty Rate | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14.3% | −1.0 pts |
| 2023 | 15.3% | +0.3 pts |
| 2022 | 15.0% | −0.3 pts |
| 2021 | 15.3% | −0.7 pts |
| 2020 | 16.0% | +1.6 pts |
| 2019 | 14.4% | −1.8 pts |
| 2018 | 16.2% | −1.2 pts |
| 2017 | 17.4% | −0.6 pts |
| 2016 | 18.0% | −1.7 pts |
| 2015 | 19.7% | −1.4 pts |
| 2014 | 21.1% | −0.4 pts |
| 2013 | 21.5% | −0.3 pts |
| 2012 | 21.8% | −0.1 pts |
| 2011 | 21.9% | −0.1 pts |
| 2010 | 22.0% | +1.3 pts |
| 2009 | 20.7% | +1.7 pts |
| 2008 | 19.0% | +1.0 pts |
| 2007 | 18.0% | +0.6 pts |
| 2006 | 17.4% | −0.2 pts |
| 2005 | 17.6% | −0.2 pts |
| 2004 | 17.8% | +0.2 pts |
| 2003 | 17.6% | +0.9 pts |
| 2002 | 16.7% | +0.4 pts |
| 2001 | 16.3% | +0.1 pts |
| 2000 | 16.2% | −0.9 pts |
| 1999 | 17.1% | −1.8 pts |
| 1998 | 18.9% | −1.0 pts |
| 1997 | 19.9% | −0.6 pts |
| 1996 | 20.5% | −0.3 pts |
| 1995 | 20.8% | −1.0 pts |
| 1994 | 21.8% | −0.9 pts |
| 1993 | 22.7% | +0.4 pts |
| 1992 | 22.3% | +0.5 pts |
| 1991 | 21.8% | +1.2 pts |
| 1990 | 20.6% | +1.0 pts |
| 1989 | 19.6% | +0.1 pts |
| 1988 | 19.5% | −0.8 pts |
| 1987 | 20.3% | −0.2 pts |
| 1986 | 20.5% | −0.2 pts |
| 1985 | 20.7% | −0.8 pts |
| 1984 | 21.5% | −0.8 pts |
| 1983 | 22.3% | +0.4 pts |
| 1982 | 21.9% | +1.9 pts |
| 1981 | 20.0% | +1.7 pts |
| 1980 | 18.3% | +1.9 pts |
| 1979 | 16.4% | +0.5 pts |
| 1978 | 15.9% | −0.3 pts |
| 1977 | 16.2% | +0.2 pts |
| 1976 | 16.0% | −1.1 pts |
| 1975 | 17.1% | +1.7 pts |
| 1974 | 15.4% | +1.0 pts |
| 1973 | 14.4% | −0.7 pts |
| 1972 | 15.1% | −0.2 pts |
| 1971 | 15.3% | +0.2 pts |
| 1970 | 15.1% | +1.1 pts |
| 1969 | 14.0% | −1.6 pts |
| 1968 | 15.6% | −1.0 pts |
| 1967 | 16.6% | −1.0 pts |
| 1966 | 17.6% | −3.4 pts |
| 1965 | 21.0% | −2.0 pts |
| 1964 | 23.0% | −0.1 pts |
| 1963 | 23.1% | −1.9 pts |
| 1962 | 25.0% | −0.6 pts |
| 1961 | 25.6% | −1.3 pts |
| 1960 | 26.9% | −0.4 pts |
| 1959 | 27.3% | — |
Also in Wealth & Inequality