U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Census 2000 Special Reports

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 

CENSR-20

Issued January 2005

By 

Reneé E. Spraggins

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

We the People: 

Women and Men in the United States
This report was prepared by Reneé E. Spraggins, under the

supervision of Karen Humes, Chief, and Annetta C. Smith,

(former) Chief, Age and Special Populations Branch, and 

Jorge del Pinal, Assistant Division Chief, Special Population

Statistics, Population Division. John F. Long, Chief, Population

Division, provided overall direction. 

General direction was provided by Judy G. Belton, Chief, Race and

Hispanic Origin Review Branch, Population Division. Within the Race

and Hispanic Origin Review Branch, Linda M. Chase provided

principal statistical assistance, and additional assistance was provided by Yvonne J. Gist, Debra A. Niner, Paula L. Vines, and

Kimberly A. DeBarros. The contents of the report were reviewed

by Marjorie F. Hanson, Denise I. Smith, and Julie A. Meyer,

Population Division. Steve Smith, Population Division, provided

computer programming support. Marie Unsell, Population

Division, provided review assistance.

Paulette Lichtman-Panzer and Jeanne Waples of the Decennial

Management Division provided decennial policy review of this

report. Mary Frances Zelenak and Eric L. Schindler under the

guidance of Philip M. Gbur and Dawn E. Haines of the Decennial

Statistical Studies Division, conducted sampling review. 

Jan Sweeney, Theodora Forgione, Jamie Peters, and Mary

Stinson, of the Administrative and Customer Services Division,

Walter C. Odom, Chief, provided publications and printing management, graphics design and composition, and editorial review for

print and electronic media. General direction and production management were provided by Susan L. Rappa, Chief, Publications

Services Branch. 

Acknowledgments
U.S. Census Bureau We the People: Women and Men in the United States 1

This report provides a portrait of

women in the United States and

highlights comparisons with men

at the national level. It is part of

the Census 2000 Special Reports

series that presents several demographic, social, and economic characteristics collected from Census

2000. The data contained in this

report are based on the samples of

households who responded to the

1970, 1980, and 1990 censuses

and Census 2000.

A companion brief, based on the

short-form data from Census 2000,

that provides more information on

this report topic is Gender: 2000.

1

It presents information on the male

and female populations in regions,

states, counties, and places of

100,000 or more and highlights

comparisons with data from the

1990 census.

We the People: 

Women and Men in the United States

1 Denise I. Smith and Reneé E. Spraggins,

2001, Gender: 2000, Washington, DC, Census

2000 Brief, C2KBR/01-9, U.S. Census Bureau.

This report is available on the U.S. Census

Bureau’s Internet site at <www.census.gov

/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-9.pdf>.

Table 1.

Population by Age and Sex: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cens2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Age

Population Percent

Total Male Female Total Male Female

Total .................................. 281,421,906 137,916,186 143,505,720 100.0 100.0 100.0

0 to 4 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,046,754 9,755,707 9,291,047 6.8 7.1 6.5

5 to 9 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,608,282 10,555,503 10,052,779 7.3 7.7 7.0

10 to 14 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,618,199 10,577,571 10,040,628 7.3 7.7 7.0

15 to 19 years ............................ 19,911,052 10,243,740 9,667,312 7.1 7.4 6.7

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,025,980 9,705,979 9,320,001 6.8 7.0 6.5

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,212,244 9,682,926 9,529,318 6.8 7.0 6.6

30 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,365,113 10,219,811 10,145,302 7.2 7.4 7.1

35 to 39 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,083,337 11,471,622 11,611,715 8.2 8.3 8.1

40 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,822,134 11,325,993 11,496,141 8.1 8.2 8.0

45 to 49 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,181,127 9,924,965 10,256,162 7.2 7.2 7.1

50 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,397,482 8,500,612 8,896,870 6.2 6.2 6.2

55 to 59 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,383,251 6,454,809 6,928,442 4.8 4.7 4.8

60 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,787,979 5,114,578 5,673,401 3.8 3.7 4.0

65 to 69 years ............................ 9,569,199 4,415,402 5,153,797 3.4 3.2 3.6

70 to 74 years ............................ 8,931,950 3,940,173 4,991,777 3.2 2.9 3.5

75 to 79 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,385,783 3,008,302 4,377,481 2.6 2.2 3.1

80 to 84 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,931,479 1,815,117 3,116,362 1.8 1.3 2.2

85 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,160,561 1,203,376 2,957,185 1.5 0.9 2.1

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.
• In 2000, 143.5 million females

lived in the United States, 16 million more than a decade earlier.2

• The female population exceeded

the male population at older

ages, but the reverse was true

at younger ages. Women aged

85 and over outnumbered men

about 2.5 to 1 (3.0 million compared with 1.2 million). In contrast, the population under 18

consisted of 37.0 million males

and 35.1 million females.

• In 2000, the male population

was larger than the female population up through age group

30 to 34, but beginning with

the age group 35 to 39, women

outnumbered men. The most

notable difference between the

number of men and women

occurred in the older ages (65

years and over). Older women

outnumbered older men by

about 6 million (20.6 million

compared with 14.4 million).

2 We the People: Women and Men in the United States U.S. Census Bureau

The majority (51 percent) of the total population was female.

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

0 to 4 

5 to 9 

10 to 14 

15 to 19 

20 to 24 

25 to 29 

30 to 34 

35 to 39 

40 to 44 

45 to 49 

50 to 54 

55 to 59 

60 to 64 

65 to 69 

70 to 74 

75 to 79 

80 to 84 

85 + 

Figure 1.

Age and Sex: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

Millions

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling 

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Age Male

137.9

Female

143.5

2 The data contained in this report are

based on the sample of households that

responded to the Census 2000 long form.

As with all surveys, estimates may vary from

the actual values because of sampling variation or other factors. All comparisons made

in this report have undergone statistical testing and are significant at the 90-percent confidence level unless otherwise noted.
• Census 2000 asked respondents

to choose 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

and Other Pacific Islander, and

Some Other Race.3 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.4

• In 2000, the sex ratio (number

of males per 100 females)

varied by race and Hispanic-origin groups.5

• Among the race groups shown

here, the Some Other Race population had the highest sex ratio

at 108, followed by the Native

Hawaiian and Other Pacific

Islander population with a sex

ratio of 103. The lowest sex

ratio was 90 males per 100

females in the Black or African

American population.6

• The number who were male was

balanced with the number who

were female for the Two or More

Races population (a sex ratio 

of 100).

• The Hispanic population had a

sex ratio of 105.

U.S. Census Bureau We the People: Women and Men in the United States 3

The sex composition varied by race.

Figure 2.

Sex Ratio by Race and Hispanic Origin: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

(Males per 100 females. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality 

protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, 

see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Non-Hispanic White

Hispanic 

Two or More Races

Some Other Race

Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander

Asian

American Indian

and Alaska Native

Black

White

Total population

95.7

96.1

96.3

90.1

98.7

92.8

102.8

108.0

100.0

105.1

5 The sex ratio for the American Indian

and Alaska Native population is not statistically different from the sex ratios for the Native

Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander and the

Two or More Races populations. The sex ratio

for the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific

Islander population is not statistically different from the sex ratios for the Two or More

Races and the Hispanic populations. 6 Hereafter, this report uses the term

Black to refer to people who reported a single race of Black or African American, and

the term Hispanic to refer to people who are

Hispanic or Latino. The term non-Hispanic

White refers to people who reported only

White and that they were not Hispanic.

Because Hispanics may be any race, data in

this report for Hispanics overlap with data

for racial groups. Based on Census 2000

sample data, the proportion Hispanic among

respondents who reported only one race was

8.0 percent for Whites, 1.9 percent for

Blacks, 14.6 percent for American Indians

and Alaska Natives, 1.0 percent for Asians,

9.5 percent for Native Hawaiians and Other

Pacific Islanders, 97.1 percent for those

reporting Some Other Race, and 31.1 percent for those reporting Two or More Races.

3 For further information on each of the

six major race groups and the Two or More

Races population, see reports from the

Census 2000 Brief series (C2KBR/01), available on the Census 2000 Web site at

<www.census.gov/population/www

/cen2000/briefs.html>. 

4 This report draws heavily on Summary

File 3, a Census 2000 product that can be

accessed through the American FactFinder,

available from the Census Bureau’s Web site,

<www.census.gov>. Information on people

who reported more than one race, such as

White and American Indian and Alaska

Native or Asian and Black or African

American, can be found in Summary File 4,

also available through American FactFinder.

About 2.6 percent of people reported more

than one race.
• In 2000, 25 percent of the

female population was under 18

years, 61 percent was 18 to 64,

and 14 percent was 65 and

over. The corresponding proportions of the male population

were 27 percent, 63 percent,

and 10 percent, respectively.

• From 1970 to 1990, the proportion of the female population

under 18 decreased, but from

1990 to 2000, it increased slightly from 24 percent to 25 percent.

The percentage of the male population that was under 18

decreased from 1970 to 2000.

• The proportion of the female

population 65 and older

increased from 1970 to 1990,

and had a slight drop in 2000.

In contrast, the proportion of

the male population 65 and

older increased from 8.5 percent

to 10.4 percent between 1970

and 2000.

• The median age for women continued to increase from 1970 to

2000: it rose from 29.3 to 36.6.

Between 1970 and 2000, the

median age for both women and

men increased by 7.3 years.

4 We the People: Women and Men in the United States U.S. Census Bureau

The distribution of people by age differed by sex.

Figure 3.

Selected Age Groups and Median Age: 1970 to 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 to 2000.

2000

1990

1980

1970

2000

1990

1980

1970

(Percent distribution. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, 

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Under 18 65 and older 18 to 64 Median age

(years)

29.3

31.3

34.2

36.6

26.8

28.8

31.8

34.1

Female

Male

32.9 55.9 11.2

26.7 60.2 13.1

24.3 61.1 14.6

24.5 61.2 14.4

36.0 55.4 8.5

29.7 61.0 9.3

26.9 62.8 10.3

26.8 62.7 10.4
The marital status of women

reflected the current trend

toward remaining single.

• Since 1970, dramatic increases

in the proportions of never-married women have occurred

among women in the age

groups 20 to 24 and 25 to 29.

In 1970, 36 percent of women

20 to 24 and 12 percent of

women 25 to 29 had not married. By 2000, the proportions

rose to 69 percent and 38 percent, respectively.

• In 1990, 90 percent of women

18 to 19 were never married

and by 2000, the proportion

dropped slightly to 89 percent.

This change represents the only

decrease in the proportion of

never-married women from

1970 to 2000 among the age

groups shown here.

• The percentage of women 30 to

34 who were never married

approximately tripled between

1970 and 2000, reaching 

22 percent. 

U.S. Census Bureau We the People: Women and Men in the United States 5

Figure 4.

Never-Married Women by Selected 

Age Group: 1970 to 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 to 2000.

(In percent. Data based on sample. For information on 

confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

35 to 44

30 to 34 

25 to 29 

20 to 24 

18 to 19 

1970

1980

1990

2000

13.4

76.6 

83.2 

90.3 

88.5

36.3 

51.2 

64.4 

69.1

12.2 

21.6 

31.5 

38.1

7.4 

10.6 

17.8 

21.9

5.7 

6.1 

9.8 
The proportions married of

women and men decreased

between 1990 and 2000.

• Overall, higher proportions of

men were never married and

currently married than women,

while higher proportions of

women were widowed and

divorced. The marital status

trends from 1970 to 2000 for

men and women followed similar patterns, with increases for

those never married or divorced

and decreases for those married

or widowed.

• Between 1970 and 2000, the

proportion of women who were

divorced more than doubled and

the corresponding proportion of

men more than tripled. The

largest change in marital status

from 1970 to 2000 for women

and men was the decline in the

proportion of those who were

married, 6.6 percentage points

and 7.1 percentage points,

respectively.

• The proportion of women who

were widowed dropped between

1970 and 2000, from 12 percent to 11 percent, while the

rate for their male counterparts

changed little. The proportion

who had never married

increased by 1.5 percentage

points for women and 1.8 percentage points for men between

1970 and 2000.

6 We the People: Women and Men in the United States U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 5.

Marital Status: 1970 to 2000

1

 Includes separated.

Note: Data for 1970 refer to the population 14 and older.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 to 2000.

(Percent distributions of women and men 15 and older. Data based on sample. For 

information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Divorced

Widowed

Married1

Never married

Divorced

Widowed

Married1

Never married

1970

1980

1990

2000

Women

Men

10.8

8.7

22.6 

61.2 

12.3 

3.9

22.9 

57.8 

12.3 

7.1

23.1 

55.6 

12.0 

9.4

24.1 

54.6 

10.5 

28.6 

65.7 

3.0 

2.7

29.7 

62.5 

2.5 

5.3

30.1 

60.2 

2.5 

7.2

30.3 

58.6 

2.5 
More older women than

older men lived alone.

• In 1970 and 2000, the proportions of the female population 

15 to 24 and 25 to 44 who lived

alone were lower than those of

their male counterparts.

However, the pattern for men

and women 45 to 64 was

reversed in both 1970 and 2000.

• Older women were more than

twice as likely as older men to

live by themselves. In 1970, 

32 percent of women 65 and

older lived alone, compared

with 15 percent of men 65 and

older. In 2000, a similar pattern

was found—36 percent and 

17 percent, respectively.

U.S. Census Bureau We the People: Women and Men in the United States 7

Figure 6.

People Living Alone by Selected 

Age Group: 1970 and 2000

1

 Data for 1970 refer to the population 14 to 24.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 and 2000.

(In percent. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality 

protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, 

see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

65 and older

45 to 64

25 to 44

15 to 241

65 and older

45 to 64

25 to 44

15 to 241

1970

2000

Women

Men

36.2

16.6

1.6 

2.8 

11.1 

31.8

3.3 

7.1 

14.2 

1.8 

4.8 

6.3 

14.5

3.5 

11.2 

12.3 
Married-couple families

constituted over half of 

all households.

• Census 2000 revealed 105.5 million total households. Marriedcouple families accounted for 

53 percent of all households;

female-maintained family households with no husband present

represented 12 percent, while

male-maintained family households with no wife present were

4 percent of all households.

• From 1970 to 2000, the number

of male-maintained family

households and female-maintained family households both

with no spouse present

increased. During the same

time period, the proportion of

female-maintained family households with no husband present

was more than double that of

their male counterparts. 

• Married-couple households

dropped from 69 percent of all

households in 1970 to 53 percent in 2000.

• The proportion of women living

alone remained approximately

the same from 1990 to 2000

after growing during the 1970s

and the 1980s, while the proportion of their male counterparts

increased from 1970 to 2000.

8 We the People: Women and Men in the United States U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 7.

Households by Family Type: 1970 to 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 to 2000.

(Percent distribution of all households. Data based on sample. For 

information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling 

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Male householder,

no spouse present

Female householder,

no spouse present

Married couple 

Living with

nonrelative(s)

Men living alone

Women living alone

Family households

Nonfamily households

1970

1980

1990

2000

5.8 

69.2

60.9 

56.2 

52.5 

8.7

10.2 

11.3 

11.8 

2.6

2.5 

3.2 

4.1 

11.2

13.8 

14.8 

14.8 

6.2

8.8 

9.6 

11.0 

2.1

3.8 

4.9 
The educational attainment

of women continued to rise

and the college education

gap with men narrowed.

• Higher proportions of both

women and men earned high

school diplomas and college

degrees in 2000 than 30 years

before.

• In 2000, of those 25 and older,

81 percent of women and 

80 percent of men had received

a high school diploma, compared

with about 53 percent of women

and 52 percent of men in 1970.

• In the last three decades,

women narrowed the college

education gap. In 2000, 23 percent of women and 26 percent

of men had graduated from college, representing a gap of

about 3 percentage points. In

1970, the gap was about 5 percentage points.

U.S. Census Bureau We the People: Women and Men in the United States 9

Figure 8.

Educational Attainment: 1970 to 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 to 2000.

(Percent of population 25 and older. Data based on sample. For information on 

confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Bachelor's degree

or more

High school

graduate or more

Bachelor's degree

or more

High school

graduate or more

Women

Men

1970

1980

1990

2000

22.8

26.1

52.8 

65.8 

74.8 

80.7

8.1 

12.8 

17.6 

51.9 

67.3 

75.7 

80.1

13.5 

20.1 

23.3 
Participation rates in the

labor force varied by age

for women and men.

• In 2000, 58 percent of women

and 71 percent of men 16 and

older were in the labor force.

• The proportion of men and

women in the labor force varied

by age, but men had higher participation rates than women in

all age groups.

• The highest proportions of

women and men in the labor

force were in the age groups 25

to 34, 35 to 44, and 45 to 54,

while the smallest proportions

were for those 65 and over.

10 We the People: Women and Men in the United States U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 9.

Labor Force Participation Rate by Age: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

(Percent of specified population that is in the labor force. Data based on sample. 

For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Women

Men

65 and older

55 to 64

45 to 54

35 to 44

25 to 34

16 to 24

Total population,

16 and older

18.4 

57.5

70.7 

62.2

65.2 

72.8

85.4 

74.0

86.4 

73.8

85.0 

50.8

65.7 

9.7
• Between 1970 and 2000, the percentage of the population 16 and

over employed in the civilian

labor force who were women

increased—47 percent in 2000,

compared with 38 percent in

1970.

• In 2000, women represented

over half of the employed workers in three types of major occupations: sales and office (64 percent), service (57 percent), and

professional and related occupations (56 percent).

• In 1970, women represented 

97 percent of employed workers

in the occupational group private

household workers (a group that

was included in the service category in 2000). Women composed 

56 percent of service workers,

except private household workers

in 1970, and 74 percent of clerical

and kindred workers (now included in sales and office workers).

• Between 1970 and 2000, women’s

representation in the civilian labor

force increased in an array of

major occupational groups. By

2000, except for the major occupational category construction,

extraction, and maintenance,

women 16 and over represented at

least 20 percent of the employed

civilian labor force in each of the

major occupational groups shown

in Figure 10. In 1970, women represented 17 percent of the managers and administrators, except

farm group, and by 2000, women

in the closest comparable group—

management, business, and financial operations—represented 

42 percent of the group.

U.S. Census Bureau We the People: Women and Men in the United States 11

Figure 10.

Occupation: 1970 and 2000

Note: Due to changes with the classification of occupations, most of the major occupation groups are not comparable between the

1970 census and Census 2000. For more information on these changes, see www.census.gov/hhes/www/ioindex.html

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 and 2000.

Laborers, except farm

Transport equipment operatives

Operatives, except transport

Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred workers

Farm laborers and farm foremen

Farmers and farm managers

Service workers, except private household

Private household workers

Clerical and kindred workers

Sales workers

Professional, technical, and kindred workers

Managers and administrators, except farm

All workers

Production, transportation, and material moving

Construction, extraction, and maintenance

Farming, fishing, and forestry

Sales and office

Service

Professional and related

Management, business, and financial operations

All workers

(Percent distribution of employed civilian population 16 and older. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, 

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Women Men

1970

2000

74.5 

46.7

41.9

55.8

56.7

64.4

21.1

3.7

25.5

53.3 

58.1 

44.2 

43.3 

35.6 

78.9 

96.3 

91.7

37.8 

16.6 

40.1 

39.3 

73.5 

96.7 

55.5 

5.0 

16.2 

4.9 

38.2 

4.5 

8.3 

62.2

83.4

59.9

60.7

26.5

3.3

44.5

95.0

83.8

95.1

61.8

95.5

In 2000, nearly half of the employed civilian labor force was women.
Median earnings of women

and men varied by race

and Hispanic origin.

• Overall, median earnings for

men were higher than those for

women. In 1999, the median

earnings of women 16 and over

who worked full-time, yearround were $27,200, about

$10,000 less than the median

earnings of their male counterparts ($37,100). 

• Among the groups examined

here, men 16 and over who

worked full-time, year-round

earned more than similarly

employed women. Black, Some

Other Race, and Hispanic

women earned about 85 cents

for every dollar earned by their

male counterparts. In contrast,

non-Hispanic White women

earned about 70 cents for every

dollar earned by non-Hispanic

White men. 

12 We the People: Women and Men in the United States U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 11.

Median Earnings by Race and Hispanic Origin: 1999 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

(For employed, full-time, year-round workers 16 and older. 

Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, 

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see 

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf) Women

Men

Non-Hispanic White

Hispanic

Two or More Races

Some Other Race

Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander

Asian

American Indian

and Alaska Native

Black

White

All workers

$40,160

$27,194 

$37,057

$27,878 

$39,235

$25,589 

$30,000

$22,834 

$28,919

$31,049 

$40,650

$25,694 

$31,030

$20,403 

$23,789

$25,399 

$31,035

$21,634 

$25,400

$28,265 
• The median income of families

maintained by women with no

husband present continued to be

lower than that of other families.

• The median family income for

female householders with no

husband present in 1999 was

$25,500, about half of the

family income of all families and

less than half of married-couple

families. After adjusting for

inflation, this amount was also

less than the median family

income of married-couple families in 1969 ($39,800).

• From 1969 to 1999, the income

gap between families maintained

by women with no husband

present and married-couple families widened. During that time,

families maintained by women

with no husband present had a

smaller percentage increase in

median income (32 percent) than

that of married-couple families

(44 percent).

U.S. Census Bureau We the People: Women and Men in the United States 13

Figure 12.

Median Family Income by Family Type: 1969 to 1999 

Note: Income in 1999 inflation adjusted dollars.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 to 2000.

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality 

protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, 

see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

1969

1979

1989

1999

Married couple

Female householder,

no spouse present

All families

$57,345 

$37,383

$42,365 

$45,717 

$50,046 

$19,330 

$21,186 

$22,601 

$25,458 

$39,779 

$46,019 

$51,375 

Families maintained by a woman with no husband present had lower incomes.
• In 1999, 12.4 percent of the

total population, 13.5 percent of

the female population, and 

11.2 percent of the male population lived below the poverty

level. Females represented 

56 percent of the total number

of people in poverty, a higher

rate than their proportion of the

total population (51 percent).

• Similar proportions of the

female and male populations

under age 18 lived below the

poverty level: 16.7 percent and

16.4 percent, respectively.

• In 1999, for those 18 to 64, the

poverty rate was 12.6 percent for

women and 9.6 percent for men. 

• For those 65 and older, the

poverty rate was 11.9 percent for

women and 7.0 percent for men.

14 We the People: Women and Men in the United States U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 13.

Poverty Rate by Broad Age Group: 1999

Note: Poverty status was determined for everyone except those in institutions, military

group quarters, or college dormitories, and unrelated individuals under 15 years old.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

(Percent of specified age group in poverty. Data based on sample. For information 

on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

65 and older

18 to 64

Under 18

All ages

Women

Men

7.0 

13.5

16.7

12.6

11.9

11.2 

16.4 

9.6 

Women 18 and older were more likely than their male counterparts to live in poverty.
ACCURACY OF THE

ESTIMATES

The data for 2000 contained in this

report are based on the sample of

households that responded to the

Census 2000 long form.

Nationally, approximately 1 out of

every 6 housing units was included

in this sample. As a result, the

sample estimates may differ somewhat from the 100-percent figures

that would have been obtained if

all housing units, people within

those housing units, and people

living in group quarters had been

enumerated using the same questionnaires, instructions, enumerators, and so forth. The sample

estimates also differ from the values that would have been obtained

from different samples of housing

units, and hence of people living in

those housing units, and people

living in group quarters. The deviation of a sample estimate from

the average of all possible samples

is called the sampling error. 

In addition to the variability that

arises from sampling, both sample

data and 100-percent data are subject to nonsampling error.

Nonsampling error may be introduced during any of the various

complex operations used to collect

and process data. Such errors may

include: not enumerating every

household or every person in the

population, failing to obtain all

required information from the

respondents, obtaining incorrect or

inconsistent information, and

recording information incorrectly.

In addition, errors can occur during

the field review of the enumerators’ work, during clerical handling

of the census questionnaires, or

during the electronic processing of

the questionnaires.

While it is impossible to completely

eliminate error from an operation

as large and complex as the decennial census, the Census Bureau

attempts to control the sources of

such error during the data collection and processing operations.

The primary sources of error and

the programs instituted to control

error in Census 2000 are described

in detail in Summary File 3

Technical Documentation under

Chapter 8, “Accuracy of the Data,”

located at <www.census.gov

/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf>.

Nonsampling error may affect the

data in two ways: first, errors that

are introduced randomly will

increase the variability of the data

and, therefore, should be reflected

in the standard errors; and second,

errors that tend to be consistent in

one direction will bias both sample

and 100-percent data in that direction. For example, if respondents

consistently tend to underreport

their incomes, then the resulting

estimates of households or families by income category will tend

to be understated for the higherincome categories and overstated

for the lower-income categories.

Such biases are not reflected in the

standard errors.

All statements in this Census 2000

Special Report have undergone statistical testing and all comparisons

are significant at the 90-percent

confidence level, unless otherwise

noted. The estimates in the figures may vary from actual values

due to sampling and nonsampling

errors. As a result, the estimates

used to summarize statistics for

one population group may not be

statistically different from estimates for another population

group. Further information on the

accuracy of the data is located at

<www.census.gov/prod/cen2000

/doc/sf3.pdf>. For further information on the computation and

use of standard errors, contact the

Decennial Statistical Studies

Division at 301-763-4242.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on women in

the United States, visit the U.S.

Census Bureau’s Web site at

<www.census.gov/population

/www/socdemo/women.html>.

Data on women from Census 2000

Summary File 3 were released on a

state-by-state basis in 2001. The

Census 2000 Summary File 3 data

are available from American

FactFinder on the Census Bureau's

Web site at <factfinder.census.gov>

and for purchase on CD-ROM and

on DVD.

For information on confidentiality

protection, nonsampling error,

sampling error, and definitions,

also see <www.census.gov/prod

/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf> or contact

the Customer Services Center at

301-763-INFO (4636).

Information on population and

housing topics is presented in the

Census 2000 Brief and Census

2000 Special Reports series, located on the Census Bureau’s Web site

at <www.census.gov/population

/www/cen2000/briefs.html>.

These series present information

on race, Hispanic origin, age, sex,

household type, housing tenure,

and other social, economic, and

housing characteristics.

To find more information about

Census 2000, including data products, call the Customer Services

Center at 301-763-INFO (4636).

U.S. Census Bureau We the People: Women and Men in the United States 15