Title: Poverty Statistics - Federal Safety Net
Headings: Federal Safety Net
Federal Safety Net
U.S. Poverty Statistics
Change in Poverty Rate From The Prior Year
U.S. Poverty Statistics – Age of the Population
U.S. Poverty Statistics - Race
U.S. Poverty Statistics – Marital Status
U.S. Poverty Statistics – Working Age Adults
U.S. Poverty Statistics – Disability
U.S. Poverty Statistics – Residence
U.S. Poverty Statistics – Nativity and Citizenship
U.S. Poverty Statistics – Educational Attainment
Analysis of Working Age Adults In Poverty
Unemployment Rate Compared to Poverty Rate
Poverty Dynamics
Only 2% of the population is in poverty with three attributes

Content: 63% did not work in the year and another 25% spent at least part of the year out of the workforce. Only 12% of working age adults in poverty worked full time. People working full time jobs who are in poverty have low paying jobs and a family size that puts them and their spouse and children in a poverty status. For example a spouse working a $10.00 an hour full time job would earn approximately $20,800 in a typical work year which is below the poverty threshold for a family of four of $25,701. Individuals working part time or seasonal jobs also often don’t make enough to raise their income above the poverty threshold. Both of these categories of poverty are most likely not caused by a lack of available jobs (especially in times of low unemployment such as 2017) but a problem of education, job training and job advancement. ​ ​
Unemployment Rate Compared to Poverty Rate
​The graph to the right shows the poverty level compared to the unemployment rate since 1963 [vi]. Even in times of low unemployment the poverty level has never dropped below 10% of the population. It appears as though jobs and opportunity alone do not explain a stubborn 10% of the population in a poverty status. Other reasons lead to the inability of individuals to take advantage of job opportunities, as shown below.