1

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

March 2005

Report 983

I

n 2003, 35.9 million people, 12.5 percent of the population,

lived at or below the official poverty threshold—1.3 million more than in 2002. Although the Nation’s poor were

primarily children and adults who were not in the labor force,

1 in every 5, or 7.4 million individuals, were classified as

“working poor.” This level was about the same as in 2002.

The working poor are those who spent at least 27 weeks in

the labor force (working or looking for work), but whose

incomes fell below the official poverty threshold. The working-poor rate—the ratio of the working poor to all individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks—was 5.3 percent,

unchanged from the rate reported in 2002. (See tables A and

1, and chart 1.)

Additional highlights from the 2003 data include:

• Of the 140.0 million people in the labor force for 27 weeks

or more in 2003, 3.8 percent of those usually employed full

time were classified as working poor, compared with 10.6 percent of part-time workers.

• Although working full time substantially lowers a

person’s probability of being poor, 3 in every 5 of the working

poor who worked during 2003 usually worked full time.

• The likelihood of being classified as working poor

greatly diminishes as workers achieve higher levels of education. In 2003, only 1.7 percent of college graduates were

counted among the working poor, compared with 14.1 percent of people with less than a high school diploma.

• Women who maintain families were twice as likely as

their male counterparts to be among the working poor.

This report presents data on the relationship between labor force activity and poverty in 2003 for workers and their

families. The specific income thresholds used to determine

people’s poverty status differ, depending on whether the individuals are living with family members or are living alone or

with unrelated people. For those living with family members,

the poverty threshold is determined by their family’s total

income; for individuals not living in families, their personal

income is used as the determinant. Therefore, for people

living in family situations, earnings from their employment

are only one factor in their poverty situation. Other important

A Profile of the Working

Poor, 2003

factors include other sources of income an individual may

have, other income of family members, and the size of the

family.

The data were collected in the 2004 Annual Social and

Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey. For

a more detailed description of the source of the data and an

explanation of the concepts and definitions used in this report, see the Technical Note.

Demographic characteristics

Of all individuals in the labor force for at least half of the year

during 2003, more women than men were poor (3.9 million and

3.5 million, respectively). The share of people classified as

working poor was higher for women, 6.0 percent, than for

men, 4.7 percent. The proportions for both groups were unchanged from the prior year.

Although roughly 7 in every 10 of the working poor were

white workers, black and Hispanic or Latino workers continued to be more than twice as likely as their white counterTable A. Poverty status of people and primary families in

the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2000-2003

(Numbers in thousands)

Total persons3 ................ 137,398 138,143 139,728 140,007

 In poverty .................... 6,483 6,802 7,359 7,429

 Poverty rate ................. 4.7 4.9 5.3 5.3

Unrelated individuals ..... 29,258 29,387 29,847 29,898

 In poverty .................... 2,238 2,388 2,584 2,472

 Poverty rate ................. 7.6 8.1 8.7 8.3

Primary families4 ............ 61,879 62,251 63,352 63,567

 In poverty .................... 3,492 3,697 3,973 4,167

 Poverty rate ................. 5.6 5.9 6.3 6.6

1 Data, beginning in 2002 with the collection of the 2003 Annual

Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey,

are not strictly comparable with data for earlier years because of

the introduction in January 2003 of revised population controls

used in the survey. 2 Data, beginning in 2003 with the collection of the 2004 Annual

Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey,

are not strictly comparable with data for earlier years because of

the introduction in January 2004 of revised population controls

used in the survey. 3 Includes people in families, not shown separately.

4 Primary families with at least one member in the labor force

for more than half of the year.

Characteristic 2000 20021 2001 20032

Errors were found in this report; data in table 4 were corrected. More information is at www.bls.gov/bls/errata/corrected-working-poor-data.htm.
2

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

1987 88 89 1990 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 03

Years

parts to be among the working poor. White working men and

women who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks were

about equally likely to be poor. In contrast, black working

women had a working-poor rate of 12.5 percent—nearly twice

the rate for black working men (7.2 percent).

As in earlier years, younger workers were more vulnerable

to being poor than were older workers. High working-poor

rates among younger workers largely reflect the lower earnings and higher rates of unemployment associated with having relatively little education and work experience. Among

16- to 19-year-olds, the proportions who were classified as

working poor for blacks (20.7 percent) and Hispanics or

Latinos ( 11.9 percent) were higher than those for whites (8.1

percent) and Asians (5.8 percent). (See table 2.)

Educational attainment

In general, the risk of being poor declines rapidly as individuals attain higher educational levels. Of all people in the

labor force for at least half of 2003, those with less than a

high school diploma had a higher working-poor rate—14.1

percent—than did high school graduates with no college—

6.2 percent. Workers with an associate degree or a 4-year

college degree recorded the lowest working-poor rates, 3.2

percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. The proportions of

blacks classified as working poor were generally higher than

those for their white counterparts at all levels of educational

attainment. (See table 3.)

Working-poor rates of white men and women were fairly

similar at all educational levels. Among black men and women,

however, there were marked disparities, especially at lower

educational levels. The rate for black women workers with

less than a high school diploma was 28.0 percent, compared

with 16.9 percent for black men. Furthermore, among individuals with a high school diploma but no college, the working-poor rate for black women (15.6 percent) was twice that of

black men—7.4 percent. Among college graduates, these differences essentially disappear.

Occupation

The likelihood of being among the working poor varies widely

by occupation. During 2003, two-thirds of those classified as

working poor were employed in one of the following three

broad occupational groups: Service; sales and office; or production, transportation, and material moving. Workers in

occupations that require higher education and are characterized by higher earnings were least likely to be among the

working poor. For instance, 2.0 percent of people employed

in managerial, professional, and related occupations were classified as working poor. By comparison, individuals employed

in occupations that typically do not require high levels of

education and are characterized by lower earnings—for example, service occupations and natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations—were more likely to be

among the working poor. About 2.2 million individuals or 30.1

percent of the working poor held service jobs. Their workingpoor rate, at 10.6 percent, was double the average rate for all

workers. The proportion of workers in natural resources, construction, and maintenance who classified as working poor

was 6.5 percent; within this occupational category, workingpoor rates for farmworkers and construction workers were

14.6 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively. (See table 4.)

Families

In 2003, 4.2 million families were classified as working poor,

despite having at least one member in the labor force for 27

weeks or more. Their number was slightly higher than the

Chart 1. Poverty rates of persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more,

1987-2003

Percent

1987 1990 1993 1997 2000 2003
3

number in 2002. Among families with one member in the labor

force for at least half a year or more in 2003, married-couple

families had a lower likelihood of being among the working

poor (8.4 percent) than did families maintained by single

women (22.5 percent) or by single men (13.5 percent). This

pattern was true regardless of which member of the marriedcouple family was in the labor force. (See table 5.)

The working-poor rate was higher in families with children

than in families without children. The rate for families with

children under the age of 18 that were maintained by a woman

was 23.0 percent. Families maintained by a man with children

had a working-poor rate of 13.5 percent. Among marriedcouple families with children, the proportion classified as

working poor was 5.8 percent, slightly higher than in 2002.

(See table 5.)

Working women who maintained families had the highest

working-poor rate in 2003 (18.4 percent), more than twice the

rate for their male counterparts—8.9 percent. Working wives

in married-couple families had the lowest likelihood of being

among the working poor (1.9 percent), compared with 3.6 percent of working husbands. (See table 6.)

Unrelated individuals

In 2003, 29.9 million unrelated individuals were in the labor

force for 27 weeks or more; of this group, 2.5 million lived

below the poverty level. The unrelated individuals category

includes people who live by themselves or with others not

related to them. Their working-poor rate was 8.3 percent in

2003, slightly lower than the rate in 2002. (See table 7.)

Within this group, teenagers were those most likely to be

poor. In 2003, 201,000, or 2 in every 5 teens living on their own

or with others not related to them lived below the poverty

level. The working-poor rate was higher for women with these

living arrangements than for men (9.2 percent versus 7.5 percent). The number of white unrelated individuals classified

as working poor was much higher than the number of blacks

or Hispanics or Latinos; however, the working-poor rates for

the latter two groups were 11.1 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively, in contrast to 7.7 percent for whites.

Of the 2.5 million unrelated individuals considered to be

among the working poor, 61.2 percent lived with others. These

individuals had a working-poor rate nearly twice that of individuals who lived alone. Many unrelated individuals living

below the poverty level may live with others out of necessity.

Conversely, many of those who live alone do so because

they have enough income to support themselves. Unrelated

individuals’ poverty status, however, is determined by each

person’s resources. The pooling of resources and sharing of

living expenses probably permit some individuals in this category who are technically classified as poor to live at a higher

standard than they would have living alone.

Labor market problems

Workers whose incomes fall below the poverty threshold typically have experienced one or more of the three main labor

market problems: Unemployment, low earnings, and involuntary part-time employment. (See the Technical Note for a

detailed explanation of the definitions.) Among people who

participated in the labor force for 27 weeks or more and usually worked in full-time wage and salary jobs, 3.7 million, or 3.4

percent, lived in poverty in 2003, little different from the prior

year. This analysis is limited to full-time wage and salary

workers. (See table 8.)

In 2003, 80.1 percent of the working poor who usually

worked full time experienced at least one of the major labor

market problems. Low earnings continued to be the most

common problem, with 62.1 percent subject to low earnings

alone or in combination with other labor market problems.

About 37 percent experienced unemployment alone or in conjunction with other problems. Only 3.7 percent of the working poor experienced all three problems—low earnings, unemployment, and involuntary part-time work.

Some 736,000 of the working poor, or about 1 in every 5,

did not experience any of the three labor market problems in

2003. Their poverty status may be associated with other factors, including short-term employment, some weeks of voluntary part-time work, or a family structure that increases the

likelihood of poverty.
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Technical Note

Source of data

The primary source of data in this report is the 2004 Annual

Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population

Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of 60,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau

of Labor Statistics to collect demographic, social, and economic information about people 16 years of age and older.

The Annual Social and Economic Supplement is asked of part

of the CPS samples for February and April and of the entire

sample for March, making up a total of 78,000 households.

Work experience and income data collected in the Annual

Social and Economic Supplement refer to activity in the entire

prior calendar year.

The estimates in this report are based on a sample and,

consequently, may differ from figures that would have been

obtained from a complete count using the same questionnaire and procedures. Sampling variability may be relatively

large in cases where the numbers are small. Thus, small estimates, or small differences between estimates, should be interpreted with caution. For a detailed explanation of the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS, its sampling variability, and more extensive definitions than those

provided below, see Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance

Coverage in the United States: 2003, Current Population

Reports, series P-60, no. 226 (U.S. Census Bureau, August

2004). This publication also is available on the Census Bureau Web site at www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty03.html.

Information in this report will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals on request. Voice phone: (202) 691-

5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339. This material is

in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be

reproduced without permission.

For more information on the data provided in this report,

write to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Labor Force

Statistics, Room 4675, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212; e-mail: cpsinfo@bls.gov; or telephone (202)

691-6378.

Comparability of estimates

The 2003 estimates in this report, which were collected in the

2004 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS, are

not strictly comparable with data for 2002 and earlier years

because of the introduction in January 2004 of revised population controls used in the CPS. For additional information,

see “Adjustments to Household Survey Population Estimates

in January 2004” in the February 2004 issue of Employment

and Earnings, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cps/

cps04adj.pdf.

Concepts and definitions

Poverty classification. Poverty statistics presented in this

report are based on definitions developed by the Social Security Administration in 1964 and revised by Federal interagency

committees in 1969 and 1981. These definitions originally

were based on the Department of Agriculture’s Economy Food

Plan and reflected the different consumption requirements of

families, based on factors such as family size and the number

of children under 18 years of age.

The actual poverty thresholds vary in accordance with

the makeup of the family. In 2003, the average poverty threshold for a family of four was $18,810; for a family of nine or

more people, the threshold was $37,656; and for an unrelated

individual aged 65 or older, it was $8,825. Poverty thresholds

are updated each year to reflect changes in the Consumer

Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). The thresholds

do not vary geographically. For more information, see Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United

States: 2003, cited above.

Low earnings. The low earnings level, as first developed in

1987, represented the average of the real value of the minimum wage between 1967 and 1987 for a 40-hour workweek.

The base year of 1967 was chosen because that was the first

year in which minimum-wage legislation covered essentially

the same broad group of workers that currently is covered.

The low earnings level has subsequently been adjusted each

year using the CPI-U, so that the measure maintains the same

real value that it held in 1987. In 2003, the low earnings threshold was $270.82 per week. For a more complete definition, see

Bruce W. Klein and Philip L. Rones, “A profile of the working

poor,” Monthly Labor Review, October 1989, pp. 3-13.

Income. Data on income are limited to money income received in the calendar year preceding the supplement, before

personal income taxes and payroll deductions. They do not

include the value of noncash benefits such as Food Stamps,

Medicare, Medicaid, public housing, and employer-provided

benefits. For a complete definition of the income concept,

see Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the

United States: 2003, cited above.

In the labor force. People in the labor force are those who

worked or looked for work sometime during the calendar year

preceding the supplement. The number of weeks in the labor

force is accumulated over the entire year. The focus in this

report is on people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

Involuntary part-time workers. These are people who, in at

least 1 week of the year, worked fewer than 35 hours because

of slack work or business conditions, or because they could

not find full-time work. The number of weeks of involuntary

part-time work is accumulated over the year.
5

Occupation. Refers to the occupation in which a person

worked the most weeks during the calendar year.

Unemployed. Unemployed people are those who looked for

work while not employed or those who were on layoff from a

job and expecting recall. The number of weeks unemployed

is accumulated over the entire year.

Family. A family is defined as a group of two or more people

residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. The count of families used in this report includes only

primary families. A primary family includes the reference person (householder) and all people living in the household who

are related to the reference person. Families are classified

either as married-couple families or as those maintained by

men or women without spouses present. Family status is

determined at the time of the interview, and thus may be different from that of the previous year.

Unrelated individuals. These are people who are not living with any relatives. Such individuals may live alone,

reside in a nonrelated family household, or live in group

quarters with other unrelated individuals.

Related children. Data on related children refer to own children (including sons, daughters, and step- or adopted children) of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family

and all other children related to the householder by birth,

marriage, or adoption.

Race. White, black or African American, and Asian are terms

used to describe the race of people. People in these categories are those who selected that race group only. Data for the

remaining race categories—American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander—and for people

who selected more than one race category are included in

totals but are not shown separately because the number of

survey respondents is too small to develop estimates of sufficient quality for publication. In the enumeration process,

race is determined by the household respondent.

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. This term refers to people who

identified themselves in the CPS enumeration process as being Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. People whose ethnicity is

identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Table 1. People in the labor force: Poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2003

(Numbers in thousands)

Poverty status and work experience Total in the labor force

27 weeks or more in the labor force

Total 50 to 52 weeks

TOTAL

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 153,448 140,007 126,758

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 2,759 1,366 1,211

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 150,689 138,641 125,547

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 120,325 115,498 107,829

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 30,364 23,143 17,717

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 5,257 4,369 3,602

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 25,108 18,773 14,115

At or above poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 143,573 132,578 120,660

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 1,677 812 714

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 141,897 131,766 119,946

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 115,040 111,080 104,081

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 26,857 20,686 15,866

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 4,100 3,451 2,864

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 22,756 17,235 13,001

Below poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 9,875 7,429 6,097

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 1,082 554 497

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 8,792 6,875 5,600

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 5,285 4,419 3,749

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 3,508 2,456 1,851

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 1,156 918 738

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 2,352 1,538 1,113

Rate 1

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 6.4 5.3 4.8

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 39.2 40.5 41.1

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 5.8 5.0 4.5

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 4.4 3.8 3.5

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 11.6 10.6 10.5

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 22.0 21.0 20.5

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 9.4 8.2 7.9

1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor

force.

 NOTE: Data refer to people 16 years and older. Data for 2003, which

were collected in the 2004 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the

Current Population Survey, are not stricly comparable with data for 2002

and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2004 of revised

population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see the

Technical Note and "Adjustments to Household Survey Population

Estimates in January 2004" in the February 2004 issue of Employment and

Earnings, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cps/

cps04adj.pdf.

6
Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity, 2003

(Numbers in thousands)

Age and sex Total White 

Black or

African

American 

Asian 

Hispanic

or Latino

ethnicity

Below poverty level

Total White 

Black or

African

American 

Asian 

Hispanic

or Latino

ethnicity

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 140,007 115,359 15,605 5,817 17,743 7,429 5,329 1,564 280 1,935

16 to 19 years ....................................... 4,215 3,550 410 106 574 396 288 85 6 68

20 to 24 years ....................................... 13,277 10,788 1,632 408 2,387 1,334 922 321 34 264

25 to 34 years ....................................... 30,961 24,722 3,821 1,553 5,559 2,180 1,560 482 56 757

35 to 44 years ....................................... 35,318 28,584 4,314 1,619 4,685 1,872 1,369 365 81 532

45 to 54 years ....................................... 33,270 27,872 3,470 1,315 2,937 1,031 727 202 76 207

55 to 64 years ....................................... 17,847 15,293 1,579 699 1,280 514 387 92 23 89

65 years and older ................................ 5,118 4,550 378 116 322 102 77 17 4 17

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 75,301 63,179 7,205 3,166 10,749 3,539 2,763 516 144 1,171

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,157 1,807 221 50 331 187 131 42 4 41

20 to 24 years ....................................... 7,091 5,894 778 192 1,482 555 416 97 20 133

25 to 34 years ....................................... 17,096 14,016 1,721 870 3,563 1,072 875 141 17 488

35 to 44 years ....................................... 19,168 15,849 1,968 911 2,804 901 722 112 46 333

45 to 54 years ....................................... 17,443 14,834 1,599 678 1,646 542 404 81 42 126

55 to 64 years ....................................... 9,506 8,253 721 382 735 232 180 33 12 41

65 years and older ................................ 2,839 2,525 196 81 187 50 36 9 4 9

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 64,706 52,180 8,399 2,651 6,995 3,889 2,566 1,048 136 764

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,057 1,742 188 56 243 209 157 43 2 27

20 to 24 years ....................................... 6,185 4,894 854 216 905 779 506 224 14 131

25 to 34 years ....................................... 13,865 10,706 2,100 683 1,995 1,108 685 341 39 269

35 to 44 years ....................................... 16,150 12,735 2,346 708 1,881 971 647 253 35 199

45 to 54 years ....................................... 15,828 13,038 1,870 637 1,291 489 323 120 34 81

55 to 64 years ....................................... 8,341 7,040 858 316 545 282 207 59 11 48

65 years and older ................................ 2,279 2,025 182 35 135 52 41 8 1 8

Age and sex

Rate 1

Total White 

Black or

African

American 

Asian 

Hispanic or

Latino

ethnicity

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 5.3 4.6 10.0 4.8 10.9

16 to 19 years ....................................... 9.4 8.1 20.7 5.8 11.9

20 to 24 years ....................................... 10.0 8.5 19.7 8.2 11.1

25 to 34 years ....................................... 7.0 6.3 12.6 3.6 13.6

35 to 44 years ....................................... 5.3 4.8 8.5 5.0 11.4

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.1 2.6 5.8 5.8 7.1

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.9 2.5 5.8 3.4 7.0

65 years and older ................................ 2.0 1.7 4.5 3.9 5.2

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 4.7 4.4 7.2 4.5 10.9

16 to 19 years ....................................... 8.7 7.2 19.1 2 ( ) 12.3

20 to 24 years ....................................... 7.8 7.1 12.4 10.3 9.0

25 to 34 years ....................................... 6.3 6.2 8.2 1.9 13.7

35 to 44 years ....................................... 4.7 4.6 5.7 5.0 11.9

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.1 2.7 5.1 6.2 7.7

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.4 2.2 4.6 3.2 5.6

65 years and older ................................ 1.8 1.4 4.8 4.7 4.6

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 6.0 4.9 12.5 5.1 10.9

16 to 19 years ....................................... 10.1 9.0 22.6 2 ( ) 11.3

20 to 24 years ....................................... 12.6 10.3 26.3 6.4 14.4

25 to 34 years ....................................... 8.0 6.4 16.2 5.8 13.5

35 to 44 years ....................................... 6.0 5.1 10.8 4.9 10.6

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.1 2.5 6.4 5.3 6.3

55 to 64 years ....................................... 3.4 2.9 6.9 3.6 8.7

65 years and older ................................ 2.3 2.0 4.1 2 ( ) 6.1

1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the

labor force for 27 weeks or more. 2 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not

presented for all races. In addition, people whose ethnicity is

identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are

classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Also, see Note, table 1.

7
Table 3. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by educational attainment, race, Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity, and sex, 2003

(Numbers in thousands)

Educational attainment, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate 1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older ......................... 140,007 75,301 64,706 7,429 3,539 3,889 5.3 4.7 6.0

Less than a high school diploma ................ 15,994 10,024 5,970 2,254 1,273 981 14.1 12.7 16.4

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 4,879 3,330 1,549 859 585 274 17.6 17.6 17.7

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 9,404 5,642 3,762 1,205 586 618 12.8 10.4 16.4

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 1,711 1,052 659 191 102 89 11.1 9.7 13.5

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 42,687 23,373 19,314 2,647 1,201 1,445 6.2 5.1 7.5

Some college or associate degree ............. 40,347 19,937 20,410 1,817 692 1,125 4.5 3.5 5.5

 Some college, no degree ......................... 27,568 13,961 13,607 1,408 538 870 5.1 3.9 6.4

 Associate degree ..................................... 12,779 5,977 6,803 409 154 255 3.2 2.6 3.7

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 40,979 21,967 19,012 711 373 338 1.7 1.7 1.8

 White, 16 years and older ........................ 115,359 63,179 52,180 5,329 2,763 2,566 4.6 4.4 4.9

Less than a high school diploma ................ 12,871 8,370 4,501 1,641 1,016 624 12.7 12.1 13.9

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 4,165 2,906 1,258 730 510 220 17.5 17.5 17.5

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 7,422 4,629 2,793 809 449 360 10.9 9.7 12.9

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 1,285 835 450 102 58 44 8.0 7.0 9.8

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 34,921 19,417 15,504 1,846 911 935 5.3 4.7 6.0

Some college or associate degree ............. 33,261 16,745 16,516 1,281 525 756 3.9 3.1 4.6

 Some college, no degree ......................... 22,585 11,662 10,923 995 417 577 4.4 3.6 5.3

 Associate degree ..................................... 10,676 5,083 5,593 286 108 178 2.7 2.1 3.2

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 34,305 18,646 15,659 562 311 251 1.6 1.7 1.6

 Black or African American, 16 years and

older ..................................................... 15,605 7,205 8,399 1,564 516 1,048 10.0 7.2 12.5

Less than a high school diploma ................ 2,038 1,025 1,014 457 173 284 22.4 16.9 28.0

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 313 185 128 44 22 21 13.9 12.1 16.6

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 1,412 686 726 333 109 224 23.6 15.9 30.9

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 313 154 159 80 42 38 25.6 27.0 24.1

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 5,716 2,860 2,856 658 212 446 11.5 7.4 15.6

Some college or associate degree ............. 4,759 2,012 2,747 392 112 280 8.2 5.6 10.2

 Some college, no degree ......................... 3,440 1,490 1,950 312 86 226 9.1 5.8 11.6

 Associate degree ..................................... 1,319 522 797 79 26 53 6.0 5.0 6.7

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 3,092 1,309 1,783 57 19 38 1.9 1.4 2.1

 Asian, 16 years and older ........................ 5,817 3,166 2,651 280 144 136 4.8 4.5 5.1

Less than a high school diploma ................ 525 282 243 69 40 29 13.0 14.1 11.8

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 239 124 114 54 36 18 22.8 29.1 16.0

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 230 123 107 13 3 10 5.8 2.5 9.6

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 56 35 22 1 1 - 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 4 ( )

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 1,117 564 554 73 40 33 6.5 7.1 5.9

Some college or associate degree ............. 1,204 604 600 62 24 38 5.1 4.0 6.3

 Some college, no degree ......................... 759 399 360 44 18 27 5.8 4.4 7.4

 Associate degree ..................................... 445 204 240 18 7 11 4.0 3.2 4.6

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 2,970 1,716 1,254 77 40 37 2.6 2.3 3.0

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and

older ...................................................... 17,743 10,749 6,995 1,935 1,171 764 10.9 10.9 10.9

Less than a high school diploma ................ 6,465 4,443 2,022 1,110 726 384 17.2 16.3 19.0

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 3,369 2,390 979 635 449 186 18.8 18.8 19.0

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 2,565 1,694 871 401 228 174 15.7 13.5 19.9

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 531 359 172 73 49 25 13.8 13.5 14.4

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 5,215 3,087 2,127 500 277 224 9.6 9.0 10.5

Some college or associate degree ............. 3,932 2,069 1,863 248 116 132 6.3 5.6 7.1

 Some college, no degree ......................... 2,875 1,554 1,321 189 90 100 6.6 5.8 7.6

 Associate degree ..................................... 1,057 516 541 59 27 32 5.6 5.2 6.0

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 2,132 1,149 983 77 53 24 3.6 4.6 2.4

1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor

force for 27 weeks or more. 2 Includes people with a high school diploma or equivalent. 3 Includes people with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and 

doctoral degrees. 4 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented

for all races. In addition, people whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or

Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well

as by race. Also, see Note, table 1. Dash represents or rounds to zero.

8
Table 4. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year: poverty status by occupation of longest job

held, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2003

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older2 .......................................... 138,641 74,449 64,192 6,875 3,174 3,701 5.0 4.3 5.8

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 47,823 23,647 24,176 914 353 561 1.9 1.5 2.3

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 20,228 11,606 8,622 369 205 164 1.8 1.8 1.9

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 27,595 12,041 15,554 545 148 397 2.0 1.2 2.6

 Service occupations ...................................................... 21,936 9,525 12,410 2,372 750 1,622 10.8 7.9 13.1

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 35,629 13,104 22,525 1,571 498 1,073 4.4 3.8 4.8

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 15,791 8,320 7,472 921 290 632 5.8 3.5 8.5

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 19,837 4,784 15,053 650 208 442 3.3 4.4 2.9

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 14,568 13,896 672 965 865 100 6.6 6.2 14.8

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 1,053 831 222 175 121 54 16.6 14.6 24.2

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 8,408 8,197 211 587 554 33 7.0 6.8 15.6

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 5,107 4,868 239 203 190 13 4.0 3.9 5.4

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 18,562 14,171 4,392 1,052 707 345 5.7 5.0 7.9

 Production occupations ............................................... 9,906 6,898 3,008 508 291 217 5.1 4.2 7.2

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 8,656 7,272 1,384 544 416 128 6.3 5.7 9.2

 White, 16 years and older2 ......................................... 114,453 62,615 51,838 4,982 2,531 2,452 4.4 4.0 4.7

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 40,442 20,339 20,103 701 300 401 1.7 1.5 2.0

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 17,655 10,388 7,267 333 185 148 1.9 1.8 2.0

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 22,787 9,951 12,836 368 115 253 1.6 1.2 2.0

 Service occupations ...................................................... 16,692 7,373 9,319 1,576 550 1,025 9.4 7.5 11.0

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 29,529 10,964 18,565 1,095 377 718 3.7 3.4 3.9

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 13,423 7,234 6,190 661 234 426 4.9 3.2 6.9

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 16,106 3,730 12,376 435 143 291 2.7 3.8 2.4

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 12,876 12,316 561 839 757 81 6.5 6.1 14.5

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 912 720 192 145 101 45 15.9 14.0 23.3

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 7,547 7,365 182 513 485 28 6.8 6.6 15.5

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 4,417 4,230 187 180 172 8 4.1 4.1 4.5

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 14,819 11,536 3,284 771 545 226 5.2 4.7 6.9

 Production occupations ............................................... 7,952 5,716 2,236 386 233 153 4.9 4.1 6.8

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 6,867 5,820 1,047 385 312 73 5.6 5.4 6.9

 Black or African American, 16 years and older2 ......... 15,262 6,991 8,271 1,398 418 979 9.2 6.0 11.8

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 3,919 1,441 2,477 140 25 116 3.6 1.7 4.7

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,341 543 798 17 10 7 1.3 1.8 .9

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 2,577 898 1,680 123 15 109 4.8 1.7 6.5

 Service occupations ...................................................... 3,722 1,461 2,261 636 139 498 17.1 9.5 22.0

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 3,955 1,246 2,709 350 74 276 8.9 6.0 10.2

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 1,346 547 799 187 26 161 13.9 4.8 20.2

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 2,609 699 1,910 163 48 115 6.2 6.9 6.0

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 1,026 952 74 80 69 11 7.8 7.3 3 ( )

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 74 59 15 15 11 4 3 ( ) 3 ( ) 3 ( )

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 554 530 23 56 51 5 10.0 9.6 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 398 362 36 9 7 3 2.3 1.8 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 2,621 1,878 742 191 112 79 7.3 5.9 10.7

 Production occupations ............................................... 1,201 722 479 72 33 39 6.0 4.6 8.1

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 1,420 1,156 264 119 79 40 8.4 6.8 15.3

See footnotes at end of table.

9

This revised table corrects errors in data by occupation. More information is at www.bls.gov/bls/errata/corrected-working-poor-data.htm. 
Table 4. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year: poverty status by occupation of longest job

held, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2003 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Asian, 16 years and older2 ......................................... 5,748 3,122 2,627 257 124 134 4.5 4.0 5.1

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 2,573 1,455 1,118 39 20 19 1.5 1.4 1.7

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 874 486 388 9 6 3 1.0 1.3 .8

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 1,699 969 730 30 14 15 1.8 1.5 2.1

 Service occupations ...................................................... 892 391 501 85 30 54 9.5 7.8 10.8

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 1,370 629 741 70 32 38 5.1 5.1 5.1

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 707 393 315 45 23 22 6.4 5.9 6.9

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 663 236 427 25 9 16 3.8 3.8 3.7

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 239 222 18 15 11 4 6.3 4.8 3 ( )

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 29 19 10 7 4 3 3 ( ) 3 ( ) 3 ( )

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 68 67 – 2 2 – 3 ( ) 3 ( ) 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 143 135 8 7 5 2 4.6 3.5 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 669 423 246 49 30 18 7.3 7.1 7.5

 Production occupations ............................................... 512 298 215 33 18 16 6.5 5.9 7.3

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 157 125 32 16 13 3 9.9 10.1 3 ( )

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older2 ....... 17,561 10,646 6,915 1,848 1,116 731 10.5 10.5 10.6

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 2,872 1,379 1,493 87 35 52 3.0 2.5 3.5

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,234 685 549 47 26 21 3.8 3.8 3.9

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 1,639 694 944 40 9 31 2.4 1.3 3.3

 Service occupations ...................................................... 4,184 2,152 2,031 635 293 342 15.2 13.6 16.8

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 3,744 1,445 2,299 286 111 174 7.6 7.7 7.6

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 1,581 787 794 156 61 95 9.9 7.8 12.0

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 2,163 658 1,505 129 50 79 6.0 7.7 5.2

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 3,161 2,975 186 444 404 40 14.0 13.6 21.7

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 448 333 115 105 74 31 23.5 22.2 27.4

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 2,020 1,979 41 265 257 8 13.1 13.0 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 693 663 30 73 73 1 10.6 11.0 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 3,588 2,684 904 396 273 123 11.0 10.2 13.6

 Production occupations ............................................... 2,009 1,383 627 213 126 87 10.6 9.1 13.8

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 1,579 1,301 278 183 147 36 11.6 11.3 13.1

1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor

force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year. 2 Includes the long-term unemployed with no previous work experience

and a small number of people whose last job was in the Armed Forces. 3 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.

 Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented

for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may

be of any race. Dash represents or rounds to zero.

 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

10
Table 5. Primary families: Poverty status, presence of related children, and work experience of family

members in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2003

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total families At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate 1

 Total primary families ................................................ 63,567 59,400 4,167 6.6

With related children under 18 years ................................ 35,917 32,374 3,543 9.9

Without children ................................................................ 27,650 27,026 624 2.3

With one member in the labor force .................................. 26,893 23,374 3,519 13.1

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 36,674 36,026 648 1.8

 With two members .......................................................... 31,020 30,407 613 2.0

 With three or more members .......................................... 5,654 5,620 35 .6

 Married-couple families ............................................. 48,553 46,680 1,872 3.9

With related children under 18 years ................................ 26,170 24,663 1,508 5.8

Without children ................................................................ 22,382 22,018 365 1.6

With one member in the labor force .................................. 16,357 14,977 1,380 8.4

 Husband .......................................................................... 12,250 11,139 1,111 9.1

 Wife ................................................................................. 3,489 3,262 227 6.5

 Relative ........................................................................... 618 576 42 6.8

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 32,196 31,703 492 1.5

 With two members .......................................................... 27,413 26,944 469 1.7

 With three or more members .......................................... 4,783 4,759 24 .5

 Families maintained by women ................................. 10,897 8,982 1,915 17.6

With related children under 18 years ................................ 7,563 5,823 1,740 23.0

Without children ................................................................ 3,334 3,159 175 5.3

With one member in the labor force .................................. 7,962 6,169 1,793 22.5

 Householder .................................................................... 6,580 5,004 1,577 24.0

 Relative ........................................................................... 1,382 1,166 216 15.7

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 2,935 2,813 122 4.2

 Families maintained by men ..................................... 4,117 3,738 380 9.2

With related children under 18 years ................................ 2,183 1,888 295 13.5

Without children ................................................................ 1,934 1,850 84 4.3

With one member in the labor force .................................. 2,574 2,228 346 13.5

 Householder .................................................................... 2,101 1,816 284 13.5

 Relative ........................................................................... 473 411 62 13.1

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 1,543 1,510 33 2.1

1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in

the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

 NOTE: Data relate to primary families with at least one member

in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. Also, see Note, table 1.

11
Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: Poverty status and work experience, 2003

(Numbers in thousands)

Poverty status and work experience Total

persons

In married-couple families In families maintained by

women

In families maintained by

men Unrelated

individuals Husbands Wives

Related

children

under

18

Other

relatives

Householder

Related

children

under

18

Other

relatives

Householder

Related

children

under

18

Other

relatives

TOTAL

 All people1 .................................. 222,509 57,064 57,664 5,739 17,632 13,760 2,097 10,526 4,695 460 4,798 48,076

With labor force activity .................. 153,448 45,224 37,206 2,081 12,194 10,009 645 6,916 3,686 148 3,274 32,066

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 13,441 1,388 3,193 1,242 2,603 826 401 1,014 201 87 317 2,168

 27 weeks or more ......................... 140,007 43,836 34,012 838 9,591 9,183 244 5,901 3,485 61 2,957 29,898

With no labor force activity ............. 69,061 11,839 20,459 3,658 5,438 3,750 1,452 3,611 1,009 312 1,524 16,010

At or above poverty level

 All people1 .................................. 198,288 53,979 54,549 5,351 16,882 9,909 1,502 9,064 4,059 390 4,398 38,204

With labor force activity .................. 143,573 43,480 36,268 2,023 11,951 7,826 541 6,378 3,308 134 3,107 28,558

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 10,995 1,216 2,918 1,208 2,526 332 329 852 135 77 271 1,132

 27 weeks or more ......................... 132,578 42,263 33,350 816 9,425 7,494 211 5,526 3,174 57 2,835 27,427

With no labor force activity ............. 54,715 10,500 18,282 3,327 4,931 2,083 962 2,686 751 256 1,291 9,646

Below poverty level

 All people1 .................................. 24,221 3,084 3,115 388 750 3,850 595 1,462 635 70 401 9,872

With labor force activity .................. 9,875 1,745 938 58 243 2,184 105 537 377 14 167 3,508

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 2,446 172 275 35 77 494 72 162 66 10 46 1,036

 27 weeks or more ......................... 7,429 1,573 663 23 166 1,689 33 375 311 4 121 2,472

With no labor force activity ............. 14,347 1,340 2,177 330 507 1,667 490 925 258 56 233 6,364

Rate 2

 All people1 .................................. 10.9 5.4 5.4 6.8 4.3 28.0 28.4 13.9 13.5 15.2 8.3 20.5

With labor force activity .................. 6.4 3.9 2.5 2.8 2.0 21.8 16.2 7.8 10.2 9.3 5.1 10.9

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 18.2 12.4 8.6 2.8 3.0 59.8 17.9 16.0 33.0 11.7 14.5 47.8

 27 weeks or more ......................... 5.3 3.6 1.9 2.7 1.7 18.4 13.4 6.4 8.9 3 ( ) 4.1 8.3

With no labor force activity ............. 20.8 11.3 10.6 9.0 9.3 44.4 33.8 25.6 25.6 17.9 15.3 39.8

1 Data on families include people in primary families and unrelated

subfamilies. 2 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total.

3 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.

 NOTE: See Note, table 1.

12
Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, Hispanic or

Latino ethnicity, and living arrangement, 2003

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate 1

Age and sex

Total unrelated individuals ............................................................................ 29,898 27,427 2,472 8.3

16 to 19 years ................................................................................................... 508 307 201 39.5

20 to 24 years ................................................................................................... 4,142 3,449 692 16.7

25 to 64 years ................................................................................................... 23,786 22,252 1,534 6.4

65 years and older ............................................................................................ 1,462 1,418 45 3.1

Men ................................................................................................................... 16,414 15,181 1,233 7.5

Women ............................................................................................................. 13,484 12,245 1,239 9.2

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White ............................................................................................................... 24,429 22,540 1,889 7.7

 Men ................................................................................................................ 13,586 12,616 970 7.1

 Women .......................................................................................................... 10,843 9,924 920 8.5

Black or African American ............................................................................... 3,751 3,333 418 11.1

 Men ................................................................................................................ 1,871 1,688 183 9.8

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,881 1,645 235 12.5

Asian ................................................................................................................ 966 885 80 8.3

 Men ................................................................................................................ 535 493 41 7.8

 Women .......................................................................................................... 431 392 39 9.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................... 3,321 2,901 420 12.6

 Men ................................................................................................................ 2,238 2,012 225 10.1

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,083 889 195 18.0

Living arrangement

Living alone ...................................................................................................... 16,095 15,137 958 6.0

Living with others .............................................................................................. 13,803 12,290 1,513 11.0

1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the

labor force for 27 weeks or more.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or

African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are

not presented for all races. In addition, people whose ethnicity is

identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore,

are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Also, see Note, 

table 1.

13
Table 8. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status and labor market problems of full-time wage

and salary workers, 2003

(Numbers in thousands)

Poverty status and labor market problems Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate 1

 Total, full-time wage and salary workers ..................................................... 108,621 104,926 3,695 3.4

No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings 2 ........ 89,935 89,200 736 .8

Unemployment only .......................................................................................... 6,609 6,092 518 7.8

Involuntary part-time employment only ............................................................. 2,389 2,330 59 2.5

Low earnings only ............................................................................................. 6,323 4,916 1,407 22.3

Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment .................................... 1,024 937 87 8.5

Unemployment and low earnings ..................................................................... 1,431 818 613 42.8

Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings ........................................ 576 436 140 24.3

Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings ............. 333 197 136 40.8

Unemployment (alone or with other problems) ................................................. 9,397 8,044 1,353 14.4

Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems) ................... 4,322 3,900 422 9.8

Low earnings (alone or with other problems) ................................................... 8,663 6,368 2,295 26.5

1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the

labor force for 27 weeks or more.

2 The low-earnings threshold in 2003 was $270.82 per week.

 NOTE: See Note, table 1.

14