# Presentation: 093156

## Poverty: 1999

**Poverty: 1999**

**Notes:**
At the close of the 20th century, 12.4 percent of the U.S. population, or 33.9 million people, reported 1999 family incomes that were below the poverty thresholds, down from 13.1 percent in 1989. The incidence of poverty varied considerable across regions, states, counties, and cities, and some groups experienced higher rates of poverty than others. This report describes population distributions for the United States, including characteristics of regions, states, counties, and places with populations of 100,000 or more. 

SPEAKER NOTES: This presentation is based on the Census 2000 Brief, Poverty: 1999, issued May 2003, and was developed by A. Emmy Warwick of the Census Bureau’s Marketing Services Office <amparo.emmy.warwick@census.gov>.
4-13-04

## Poverty statistics presented in census publications use thresholds prescribed for federal agencies by Statistical Policy Directive 14, issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

**Notes:**
Poverty statistics presented in census publications use threshold prescribed for federal agencies by Statistical Policy Directive 14, issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The original poverty measure was developed in the Social Security Administration during 1963 – 1964. It was adopted by the Council of Economic Advisors, and the OMB subsequently revised it slightly in 1969 and 1981.
The current official poverty measure has two components – poverty thresholds (income levels) and the family income that is compared with these thresholds. The official definition uses 48 thresholds that take into account family size (from one person to nine or more) and the presence and number of family members under 18 years old (from no children present to eight or more children present).

## Slide 3

**Notes:**
Unrelated individuals and two-person families are differentiated by the age of the reference person (under 65 or 65 and over). The poverty thresholds are not adjusted for regional, state, or local variation in the cost of living. 
For example, the 1999 poverty threshold for a 3-person family with one member under age 18 was $13,410. If the total family income for 1999 was greater than this threshold, then the family and all members of the family were considered to be above the poverty.
The total number of people below the poverty level is the sum of the number of people in poor families and the number of unrelated individuals with incomes below the poverty threshold.

## Declines in poverty between 1989 and 1999 were registered for most age groups shown.

**Notes:**
Declines in poverty between 1989 and  1999 were registered for most age groups shown. The poverty rate for children (those under 18) declined by 1.7 percentage points, from 18.3 percent in 1989 to 16.6 percent in 1999.

## Slide 5

**Notes:**
Despite declines, the child poverty rate in 1999 still surpassed rates for adult age groups. In 1999, for example the poverty rate for people 18 to 64 was 11.1 percent, and the poverty rate for people 65 to 74 and those 75 and over were 8.5 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively. Notable, people 18 to 64 experienced an increase in poverty over the decade.

## Poverty rates varied across regions and states.

**Notes:**
Poverty rates varied across regions and states.

## Poverty by Region: 1999

**Poverty by Region: 1999**

**Notes:**
The lowest poverty rate in 1999 was experienced in the Midwest region (10.2 percent), while the poverty rate was 11.4 percent in the Northeast and 13.0 percent in the West. Poverty rates in 1999 remained highest in the South at 13.9 percent. 

## Among the 50 states, poverty rates in 1999 ranged from a low of 6.5 percent in New Hampshire to a high of 19.9 percent in Mississippi. 

**Notes:**
Among the 50 states, poverty rates in 1999 ranged from a low of 6.5 percent in New Hampshire to a high of 19.9 percent in Mississippi. The estimated poverty rate for District of Columbia (20.2 percent) was not statistically different from Mississippi.

## Poverty Rates For Selected States: 1999

**NORTHEAST**

**NM**
**18.4%**

**LA**
**19.6%**

**MS**
**19.9%**

**Poverty Rates For ****Selected States: 1999**

**MIDWEST**

**WEST**

**MN**
**7.9%**

**CT**
**7.9%**

**NH**
**6.5%**

**Notes:**
The three states with the highest poverty rates in 1989 (Mississippi (25.2%), Louisiana (23.6%), and New Mexico (20.6%)) all experienced significant declines in poverty over the 1990s, yet they remained the three highest: Mississippi (19.9%), Louisiana (19.6%), and New Mexico (18.4%).
The three states with the lowest poverty rates in 1989 (New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New Jersey) experienced declines in poverty; two of them – Connecticut and New Jersey – experienced increases. Nevertheless, New Hampshire (6.5%) and Connecticut (7.9%) remained among  the three states with the lowest poverty rates in 1999, along with Minnesota (7.9%).

## Clusters of low and high poverty counties were evident in 1999.

**Notes:**
Clusters of low and high poverty counties were evident in 1999.

## Slide 11

**Notes:**
The lighter-shaded counties, such as those that predominate in the Midwest, along the coast in the Northeast, and in some mountain states, had lower-than-average poverty rates. In contrast, the darker-shaded counties in the South and Southwest had higher-than-average poverty rates. High-poverty counties were clustered in Appalachia (such as in West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky), in the Mississippi delta area, along the border in Southwest Texas, and in some American Indian tribal areas in states close to the Canadian border and the Southwest.

## Of all places of 100,000 population in 1999, Naperville, IL, had the lowest poverty rate – 2.2 percent.

**Notes:**
Of all places of 100,000 population in 1999, Naperville, IL, had the lowest poverty rate – 2.2 percent.

## Slide 13

**Notes:**
Of the 10 places with the lowest poverty rates, five were in the West (Gilbert, AZ; Westminister, CO; Thousand Oaks, CA; Arvada, CO; and Peoria, AZ), four were in the Midwest (Naperville, IL; Livonia, MI; Overland Park, KS; and Sterling Heights, MI), one was in the South (Plano, TX), and none were in the Northeast.

## Brownsville, Texas, had the highest poverty rate at 36.0 percent.

**Notes:**
Brownsville, Texas, had the highest poverty rate at 36.0 percent.

## Slide 15

**Notes:**
Five of the 10 places listed were in the South (Brownsville is accompanied by Laredo, TX; Miami, FL; Athens-Clarke, GA; and New Orleans, LA). Four were in the Northeast (Hartford, CT; Providence, RI: Newark, NJ; and Syracuse, NY), and only one in the West (San Bernardino, CA). None were in the Midwest.

## Poverty rates varied by race and Hispanic origin.

**Notes:**
Poverty rates varied by race and Hispanic origin.

## Slide 17

**Notes:**
Non-Hispanic Whites had the lowest poverty rate (8.1 percent) in 1999. The poverty rates for Asians (12.6 percent) and Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders (17.7 percent) were somewhat higher. Poverty rates were higher still among Blacks or African Americans (24.9 percent) and American Indians and Alaska Natives (25.7 percent). Poverty rates for those who were of Some other race (24.4 percent) or Two or more races (18.2 percent) were also higher than the national average (12.4 percent).
People who were Hispanic or Latino (who may be of any race) also had a high poverty rate (22.6 percent) compared with the national average.

SPEAKER NOTES: Census 2000 asked respondents to report one or more races. With the exception of the Two or more races group, all race groups discussed in this report refer to people who indicated only one racial identity among the six major categories: White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Some other race. The use of the single-race population in this report does not imply that it is the preferred method of presenting or analyzing data. The Census Bureau uses a variety of approaches.

## Poverty rates varied by family type and number of children.

**Notes:**
Poverty rates varied by family type and number of children.

## Slide 19

**Notes:**
Between 1989 and 1999, the poverty rate for all families fell from 10.0 percent to 9.2 percent, but poverty rates varied by family type and the presence of children. The poverty rate for all married-couple families in 1999 (4.9 percent) was lower than the rate for male householder families with no spouse present (13.6 percent) and female householder families with no spouse present (26.5 percent). Among the latter group, the poverty rate for families with related children under 18 was higher still, at 34.3 percent in 1999, although this figure represents a decline from 42.3 percent in 1989.

##  For More Information visit

-  For More Information visit
- _[http://www.census.gov](http://www.census.gov/)_
- Or call our Customer Services Center 301-763-INFO (4636)