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July 2020Report 1087

BLS Reports Menu

Statistical TablesTable 1. People in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by...Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by...Table 3. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by...Table 4. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during...Table 5. Primary families: poverty status, presence of related children,...Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and...Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more:...Table 8. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status...Technical Notes

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# A profile of the working poor, 2018

About 38.1 million people, or 11.8 percent of the nation’s population, lived below the official poverty level in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.[1] (See the technical notes section for examples of poverty levels.) Although the poor were primarily adults who had not participated in the labor force during the year and children, 7.0 million individuals were among the “working poor” in 2018, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); this measure was little changed from 6.9 million in 2017. The working poor are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force (that is, working or looking for work) but whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level. In 2018, the working-poor rate—the ratio of the working poor to all individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks—was 4.5 percent, unchanged from the previous year’s figure. (See table A, chart 1, and table 1.)

Following are some highlights from the 2018 data:
                - The working-poor rate of people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more was 4.5 percent. This matches last year’s rate, the lowest rate in the history of the series, which began in 1986. (See chart 1.)
                - Full-time workers continued to be much less likely to be among the working poor than part-time workers. Among people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2.8 percent of those usually employed full time were classified as working poor, compared with 11.1 percent of part-time workers. (See table 1.)
                - Women were more likely than men to be among the working poor (5.3 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively). In addition, Blacks or African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos continued to be much more likely than Whites and Asians to be among the working poor.2 (See table 2.)
                - The likelihood of being classified as working poor diminishes as workers attain higher levels of education. Among those with less than a high school diploma, 13.5 percent of those who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks were classified as working poor, compared with 1.4 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree and higher. (See table 3.)
                - Individuals who were employed in service occupations continued to be more likely to be among the working poor than those employed in other major occupational groups. (See table 4.)
                - Among families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, those with children under 18 years old were over 5 times as likely as those without children to live in poverty. Families maintained by women were more than twice as likely as families maintained by men to be living below the poverty level. (See table 5.) Table A. Poverty status of people and primary families in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2008–18 (Numbers in thousands)Characteristic20082009201020112012201320142015201620172018
Total in the labor force [1]
147,838147,902146,859147,475148,735149,483150,319152,230153,364154,762156,454
In poverty
8,88310,39110,51210,38210,61210,4509,4878,5607,5726,9466,964
Working poor rate
6.07.07.27.07.17.06.35.64.94.54.5
Unrelated individuals
32,78533,79834,09933,73134,81035,06135,01835,95335,78936,95937,082
In poverty
3,2753,9473,9473,6213,8514,1413,3953,1372,7922,5242,684
Working poor rate
10.011.711.610.711.111.89.78.77.86.87.2
Primary families [2]
65,90765,46764,93166,22566,54166,46266,73267,19367,62867,58868,099
In poverty
4,5385,1935,2695,4695,4785,1375,1084,6074,0823,8543,628
Working poor rate
6.97.98.18.38.27.77.76.96.05.75.3
[1] Includes individuals in families, not shown separately.

[2] Primary families with at least one member in the labor force for more than half the year.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).
 This report presents data on the relationship between labor force activity and poverty status in 2018 for workers and their families. These data were collected in the 2019 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey. (For a detailed description of the source of the data and an explanation of the concepts and definitions used in the report, see the technical notes.) The specific income thresholds used to determine people’s poverty status vary, depending on whether the individuals are living with family members, living alone, or living with nonrelatives. For people 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. View Chart DataChart 1. Working-poor rate of people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1986–2018YearTotal
1986
6.2
1987
5.5
1988
5.4
1989
5.3
1990
5.5
1991
6.1
1992
6.3
1993
6.7
1994
6.2
1995
5.9
1996
5.8
1997
5.7
1998
5.4
1999
5.1
2000
4.7
2001
4.9
2002
5.3
2003
5.3
2004
5.6
2005
5.4
2006
5.1
2007
5.1
2008
6.0
2009
7.0
2010
7.2
2011
7.0
2012
7.1
2013
7.0
2014
6.3
2015
5.6
2016
4.9
2017
4.5
2018
4.5
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
 **Demographic characteristics** Among those who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2018, the number of women classified as working poor (3.9 million) was higher than that of men (3.1 million). The working-poor rate also continued to be higher for women (5.3 percent) than for men (3.7 percent). The working-poor rates for both women and men showed little or no change from a year earlier. (See table 2.) Hispanics and Blacks were much more likely than Whites and Asians to be among the working poor. In 2018, the working-poor rates for Hispanics and Blacks were 7.9 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively, compared with 3.9 percent for Whites and 3.2 percent for Asians. (See table 2 and chart 2.) View Chart DataChart 2. Working-poor rates by gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2018GenderTotalWhiteBlack or African AmericanAsianHispanic or Latino
Total
4.53.97.83.27.9
Men
3.73.45.73.37.2
Women
5.34.59.73.18.7
Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
 Among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, the working-poor rate was higher for women than for men. The rates for White women and White men who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force were 4.5 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively. The rate for Black women was 9.7 percent, compared with 5.7 percent for Black men. The working-poor rate for Black women, while little changed compared with the prior year, was below 10.0 percent for the first time in the history of the series (which began in 1986). In 2018, the working-poor rate for Hispanic women was 8.7 percent, while the rate for Hispanic men was 7.2 percent. Among Asians, the rates for women and men were little different from each other, at 3.1 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively. Young workers are more likely to be poor than are workers in older age groups, in part because earnings are lower for young workers and the unemployment rate for young workers is higher. Among youths who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 9.3 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 7.7 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds were living in poverty in 2018. Those rates were higher than the rates for workers ages 25 to 34 (5.4 percent) and those ages 35 to 44 (5.1 percent). Workers ages 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and 65 and older had lower working-poor rates—3.3 percent, 2.5 percent, and 2.0 percent, respectively—than did those in younger age groups. (See table 2.) ****Educational attainment**** Achieving higher levels of education reduces the incidence of living in poverty. People who complete more years of education usually have greater access to higher paying jobs—such as management, professional, and related occupations—than those with fewer years of education. Among people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2018, those with less than a high school diploma had the highest working-poor rate, at 13.5 percent, while those with a bachelor’s degree or higher had the lowest, at 1.4 percent. Even though women were more likely than men to be among the working poor at all levels of educational attainment, the gap in their working-poor rates narrowed at higher levels of education. (See table 3.)  For people with a bachelor’s degree and higher, Hispanics (3.1 percent) were more likely to be among the working poor than were Blacks (1.9 percent), Asians (1.7 percent), and Whites (1.3 percent). For all race and ethnicity groups, working-poor rates were much higher for those with less than a high school diploma: 12.8 percent for Whites, 17.7 percent for Blacks, 10.8 percent for Asians, and 14.5 percent for Hispanics. **Occupation** The likelihood of being among the working poor varies widely by occupation. Workers in occupations requiring higher education and characterized by relatively high earnings—such as management, professional, and related occupations—were least likely to be classified as working poor. For example, 1.5 percent of those in management, professional, and related occupations were among the working poor in 2018. By contrast, individuals employed in occupations that typically do not require high levels of education and that are characterized by relatively low earnings were more likely to be among the working poor. For instance, 9.4 percent of service workers who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks were classified as working poor in 2018. The 2.5 million working poor employed in service occupations accounted for about two-fifths of all those classified as working poor. (See table 4.) The working-poor rate for women was higher than that for men in all major occupational groups in 2018. For both men (1.3 percent) and women (1.6 percent), working-poor rates were lowest in management, professional, and related occupations. **Families** In 2018, 3.6 million families were living below the poverty level despite having at least one member in the labor force for half the year or more. This figure was down from 3.9 million in 2017. Among families with only one member in the labor force for at least 27 weeks in 2018, married-couple families were less likely to be living below the poverty level, at 6.5 percent, than were families maintained by women, at 20.5 percent, or families maintained by men, at 10.6 percent. (See table 5.) Among families with at least one member in the labor force for more than half the year, those with children in the household were much more likely to live below the poverty level than those without children. The proportion of families with children under age 18 who lived in poverty was 8.9 percent, compared with 1.7 percent for families without children. Among families with children under 18, the working-poor rate for those maintained by women (22.0 percent) was higher than that for those maintained by men (10.8 percent). Married-couple families with children under 18 had a working-poor rate of 4.7 percent in 2018. **Unrelated individuals** The “unrelated individuals” category includes individuals who live by themselves or with others not related to them. Of the 37.1 million unrelated individuals who were in the labor force for half the year or longer, 2.7 million lived below the poverty level in 2018, little changed from a year earlier. The working-poor rate for unrelated individuals who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more was 7.2 percent, an increase of 0.4 percentage point from last year’s figure. (See table 6.) Within the group of unrelated individuals, teenagers continued to be the most likely to be among the working poor. In 2018, 37.5 percent of teens (ages 16 to 19) who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more and who lived on their own or with others not related to them lived below the poverty level. Overall, the working-poor rate for men living alone or with nonrelatives was 6.3 percent, and the rate for women was 8.3 percent. The working-poor rates for unrelated individuals were higher for Hispanics (10.4 percent) and Blacks (10.2 percent) than for Whites (6.6 percent) and Asians (5.8 percent). (See table 7.) Of the 2.7 million unrelated individuals considered to be among the working poor in 2018, about 3 out of 5 lived with others. These individuals had a higher working-poor rate than individuals who lived alone. Many unrelated individuals living below the poverty level may live with others out of necessity. By contrast, many of those who live alone do so because they have sufficient 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 may permit some individuals in this category—who are technically classified as poor—to live at a higher standard than they would have if they lived alone. **Labor market problems** As noted earlier, people who usually work full time are less likely to live in poverty than are those who work part time, yet there remains a sizable group of full-time workers who live below the poverty threshold. Among those who participated in the labor force for 27 weeks or more and usually worked in full-time wage and salary jobs, 3.3 million, or 2.6 percent, were classified as working poor in 2018, little changed from last year’s figure. (See table 8.) There are three major labor market problems that can hinder a worker’s ability to earn an income that is above the poverty threshold: low earnings, periods of unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment. (See the technical notes section for detailed definitions.) In 2018, 78 percent of the working poor who usually work full time experienced at least one of the major labor market problems. Low earnings continued to be the most common problem, with 66 percent subject to low earnings, either as the only problem or in combination with other labor market problems. About 24 percent experienced unemployment as the main labor market problem or in conjunction with other problems. Four percent of the working poor experienced all three problems: low earnings, unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment. (See table 8.) Some 714,000, or 22 percent, of the working poor who usually worked full time did not experience any of the three primary labor market problems in 2018. Their classification as working poor may be explained by other factors, including short-term employment, some weeks of voluntary part-time work, or a family structure that increases the risk of poverty. Notes
(1) “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2017,” *Current Population Reports*, P60-263 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2018), table 3, https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-263.pdf.

(2) People of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.
Statistical TablesTable 1. People in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)Poverty status and work experienceTotal in labor force27 weeks or more in labor forceTotal50 to 52 weeks
TOTAL, 16 YEARS AND OLDER

Total in the labor force
168,617156,454142,870
  Did not work during the year
2,2151,053881
  Worked during the year
166,402155,401141,990
Usual full-time workers
134,458130,045122,333
Usual part-time workers
31,94425,35619,657
Involuntary part-time workers
5,7094,8753,971
Voluntary part-time workers
26,23620,48115,686
At or above poverty level

Total in the labor force
159,557149,490137,067
  Did not work during the year
1,359595498
  Worked during the year
158,198148,896136,569
Usual full-time workers
130,059126,342119,079
Usual part-time workers
28,14022,55417,489
Involuntary part-time workers
4,5703,9493,184
Voluntary part-time workers
23,56918,60514,305
Below poverty level

Total in the labor force
9,0606,9645,804
  Did not work during the year
857458383
  Worked during the year
8,2046,5055,421
Usual full-time workers
4,3993,7033,253
Usual part-time workers
3,8042,8022,168
Involuntary part-time workers
1,138926786
Voluntary part-time workers
2,6661,8761,381
RATE[1]

Total in the labor force
5.44.54.1
  Did not work during the year
38.743.543.5
  Worked during the year
4.94.23.8
Usual full-time workers
3.32.82.7
Usual part-time workers
11.911.111.0
Involuntary part-time workers
19.919.019.8
Voluntary part-time workers
10.29.28.8
[1]Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)Age and genderTotalBelow poverty levelRate[1]TotalWhiteBlack or African AmericanAsianHispanic or LatinoTotalWhiteBlack or African AmericanAsianHispanic or LatinoTotalWhiteBlack or African AmericanAsianHispanic or Latino
Total, 16 years and older
156,454121,72319,52110,00327,2786,9644,7581,5313212,1474.53.97.83.27.9
  16 to 19 years
3,5982,8243781458113352484761089.38.812.43.813.3
  20 to 24 years
13,20910,1391,8095973,1031,014736166462687.77.39.27.78.6
  25 to 34 years
35,95726,7645,1502,5197,2291,9481,174593775555.44.411.53.17.7
  35 to 44 years
33,01325,0314,3052,5466,6291,6831,141364936295.14.68.53.79.5
  45 to 54 years
32,52425,3554,0472,2045,4431,071789199513913.33.14.92.37.2
  55 to 64 years
27,35222,4522,9001,4703,220696498139351472.52.24.82.44.6
  65 years and older
10,8019,1599335238432151732414492.01.92.52.65.8
Men, 16 years and older
83,07265,9709,0975,35015,5143,0992,2505191791,1193.73.45.73.37.2
  16 to 19 years
1,6931,37214969408156121221519.28.814.6-12.5
  20 to 24 years
6,7495,2498433141,68442032551271216.26.26.18.57.2
  25 to 34 years
19,48214,7422,5401,4214,208783534163502744.03.66.43.66.5
  35 to 44 years
17,84313,9191,9741,3623,862813581125503484.64.26.33.79.0
  45 to 54 years
17,09413,5551,9021,1483,03550337489252252.92.84.72.27.4
  55 to 64 years
14,30211,9871,2947611,8413322406418752.32.05.02.44.1
  65 years and older
5,9105,147395276477927467261.61.41.62.55.4
Women, 16 years and older
73,38255,75210,4234,65311,7643,8652,5081,0121431,0285.34.59.73.18.7
  16 to 19 years
1,9061,45222876403179126254579.48.711.05.714.1
  20 to 24 years
6,4604,8909662841,419594411115191479.28.411.96.810.4
  25 to 34 years
16,47512,0232,6101,0983,0211,165640430272817.15.316.52.49.3
  35 to 44 years
15,16911,1122,3301,1842,767870559239432815.75.010.33.610.2
  45 to 54 years
15,43111,7992,1451,0562,408568415110261663.73.55.12.56.9
  55 to 64 years
13,05010,4651,6057091,3793642587417722.82.54.62.45.2
  65 years and older
4,8914,01253924736612499177232.52.53.22.76.3
[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 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 zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
Table 3. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by educational attainment, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)Educational attainment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicityTotalMenWomenBelow poverty levelRate[1]TotalMenWomenTotalMenWomen
Total, 16 years and older
156,45483,07273,3826,9643,0993,8654.53.75.3
 Less than a high school diploma
11,8587,4024,4561,59886673113.511.716.4
    Less than 1 year of high school
3,7112,4971,21550829920913.712.017.2
    1–3 years of high school
6,3473,7942,55289945344614.211.917.5
    4 years of high school, no diploma
1,8001,1116891911157610.610.311.1
 High school graduates, no college [2]
40,70524,03416,6712,6041,1641,4406.44.88.6
  Some college or associate's degree
43,30321,67321,6311,8886801,2084.43.15.6
    Some college, no degree
26,62713,78612,8411,3364608775.03.36.8
    Associate's degree
16,6777,8878,7905522203313.32.83.8
 Bachelor's degree and higher [3]
60,58829,96430,6248743884861.41.31.6
White, 16 years and older
121,72365,97055,7524,7582,2502,5083.93.44.5
 Less than a high school diploma
9,2925,9993,2931,18567650912.811.315.5
    Less than 1 year of high school
3,0872,13195642224917413.711.718.2
    1–3 years of high school
4,8763,0221,85462634228412.811.315.3
    4 years of high school, no diploma
1,329846483137855110.310.110.6
 High school graduates, no college [2]
31,61519,07412,5421,6738018725.34.27.0
  Some college or associate's degree
33,66317,25816,4051,2694827873.82.84.8
    Some college, no degree
20,41110,9089,5038923285634.43.05.9
    Associate's degree
13,2526,3506,9023771542242.82.43.2
 Bachelor's degree and higher [3]
47,15323,64023,5136312913401.31.21.4
Black or African American, 16 years and older
19,5219,09710,4231,5315191,0127.85.79.7
 Less than a high school diploma
1,45574970625811014817.714.720.9
    Less than 1 year of high school
25412712729171211.513.49.6
    1–3 years of high school
8904554351867211420.915.926.2
    4 years of high school, no diploma
31116714443212113.712.714.9
 High school graduates, no college [2]
6,0283,2242,80473626746912.28.316.7
  Some college or associate's degree
6,2382,7093,5294251093176.84.09.0
    Some college, no degree
4,0541,7532,301287642227.13.79.7
    Associate's degree
2,1849561,22813944946.44.77.7
 Bachelor's degree and higher [3]
5,8002,4153,38511133781.91.42.3
Asian, 16 years and older
10,0035,3504,6533211791433.23.33.1
 Less than a high school diploma
52728424357312610.811.010.6
    Less than 1 year of high school
2151199633181515.214.815.7
    1–3 years of high school
23411412117897.16.97.2
    4 years of high school, no diploma
78512786210.2--
 High school graduates, no college [2]
1,5248356888242405.45.05.9
  Some college or associate's degree
1,6989127867852264.65.73.4
    Some college, no degree
1,0325854476542236.37.15.3
    Associate's degree
667327339131032.03.20.9
 Bachelor's degree and higher [3]
6,2553,3192,93610454501.71.61.7
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older
27,27815,51411,7642,1471,1191,0287.97.28.7
 Less than a high school diploma
6,1114,0542,05688551337214.512.718.1
    Less than 1 year of high school
2,8301,97385840825015814.412.718.5
    1–3 years of high school
2,5891,64294739621418315.313.019.3
    4 years of high school, no diploma
69244025180503111.611.312.2
 High school graduates, no college [2]
8,7745,4453,3297173803378.27.010.1
  Some college or associate's degree
7,0173,4983,5193791472335.44.26.6
    Some college, no degree
4,6562,4062,2502751051705.94.47.5
    Associate's degree
2,3611,0921,26910542634.43.85.0
 Bachelor's degree and higher [3]
5,3762,5172,85916679863.13.23.0
[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.

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 zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
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, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)Occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicityTotalMenWomenBelow poverty levelRate [1]TotalMenWomenTotalMenWomen
Total, 16 years and older [2]
155,40182,44872,9536,5052,8463,6594.23.55.0
  Management, professional, and related occupations
63,08330,23632,8479334015321.51.31.6
   Management, business, and financial operations occupations
26,57714,64911,9274142321821.61.61.5
   Professional and related occupations
36,50615,58720,9205191703501.41.11.7
 Service occupations
26,46711,29015,1772,4958491,6459.47.510.8
 Sales and office occupations
33,08813,05720,0311,4393701,0694.32.85.3
   Sales and related occupations
15,6017,9597,6428722406325.63.08.3
    Office and administrative support occupations
17,4875,09812,3895681314373.22.63.5
  Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
14,09113,340751751679725.35.19.6
   Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
1,13383729610574309.38.910.3
    Construction and extraction occupations
8,3068,021285491464275.95.89.3
    Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
4,6524,482170155140153.33.18.9
  Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
18,59714,4554,1418885473404.83.88.2
    Production occupations
8,6756,2482,4273431591854.02.57.6
    Transportation and material-moving occupations
9,9218,2071,7145443891565.54.79.1
White, 16 years and older [2]
121,02165,53755,4834,4672,0752,3923.73.24.3
  Management, professional, and related occupations
49,86024,31925,5406673003671.31.21.4
   Management, business, and financial operations occupations
21,80612,4409,3663011731281.41.41.4
   Professional and related occupations
28,05411,87916,1753661272391.31.11.5
 Service occupations
19,0458,33810,7071,6726011,0718.87.210.0
 Sales and office occupations
26,20010,49115,7099592846753.72.74.3
   Sales and related occupations
12,5746,6765,8985821873954.62.86.7
    Office and administrative support occupations
13,6263,8159,811378972812.82.52.9
  Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
12,12511,504620618566525.14.98.4
   Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
1,0047412638967228.89.18.2
    Construction and extraction occupations
7,2426,999243408386225.65.59.2
    Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
3,8783,76411412111383.13.06.8
  Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
13,74510,8422,9035513242274.03.07.8
    Production occupations
6,6724,9451,727229991293.42.07.5
    Transportation and material-moving occupations
7,0735,8971,177323225984.63.88.3
Black or African American, 16 years and older[2]
19,2658,96110,3041,3924599327.25.19.0
  Management, professional, and related occupations
6,2002,2743,926173521212.82.33.1
   Management, business, and financial operations occupations
2,2759251,3507038323.14.12.4
   Professional and related occupations
3,9251,3492,57610314892.61.03.4
 Service occupations
4,7111,8292,88158915643312.58.515.0
 Sales and office occupations
4,0481,4092,638316352827.82.510.7
   Sales and related occupations
1,6466311,0152012717412.24.217.1
    Office and administrative support occupations
2,4017781,62311681084.81.06.6
  Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
1,1061,018888070107.26.911.0
   Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
574116734---
    Construction and extraction occupations
57555222484528.38.2-
    Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
47442550252245.45.1-
  Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
3,1792,411768233146877.36.111.3
    Production occupations
1,1637853786625415.73.210.9
    Transportation and material-moving occupations
2,0151,626390167121468.37.411.7
Asian, 16 years and older[2]
9,9565,3244,6323111711403.13.23.0
  Management, professional, and related occupations
5,4262,9332,4936739281.21.31.1
   Management, business, and financial operations occupations
1,8649718932714121.41.51.4
   Professional and related occupations
3,5621,9621,6004025151.11.31.0
 Service occupations
1,5466269209942576.46.76.2
 Sales and office occupations
1,6367398976729384.13.94.2
   Sales and related occupations
8224463763719194.64.24.9
    Office and administrative support occupations
8132935202910193.63.33.7
  Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
35334112171614.74.6-
   Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
2822611----
    Construction and extraction occupations
144141410917.06.5-
    Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
181178355-2.92.9-
  Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
9916813116246166.26.75.2
    Production occupations
534297237271985.06.33.5
    Transportation and material-moving occupations
45738473352787.67.0-
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older[2]
27,06215,38111,6812,0471,0659827.66.98.4
  Management, professional, and related occupations
6,0642,7773,28715667892.62.42.7
   Management, business, and financial operations occupations
2,6831,4311,2527534402.82.43.2
   Professional and related occupations
3,3811,3472,0358133482.42.42.4
 Service occupations
6,5242,8453,67987435551913.412.514.1
 Sales and office occupations
5,5932,2393,354319942265.74.26.7
   Sales and related occupations
2,5751,2301,345193601337.54.99.9
    Office and administrative support occupations
3,0181,0082,01012634924.23.44.6
  Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
4,6714,380291433388459.38.915.5
   Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
55639416278532514.013.515.3
    Construction and extraction occupations
3,1703,07298297279189.49.118.8
    Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
94591431585626.26.1-
  Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
4,1973,1271,0692641611036.35.19.7
    Production occupations
1,9751,30167412461636.34.79.4
    Transportation and material-moving occupations
2,2211,826395140100406.35.510.2
[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] Estimates for the occupational groups do not sum to totals because data includes the long-term unemployed with no previous work experience and a small number of people whose last job was in the Armed Forces.

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 zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
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, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)CharacteristicTotal familiesAt or above poverty levelBelow poverty levelRate [1]
Total Primary Families
68,09964,4723,6285.3
  With related children under 18 years
34,53131,4693,0628.9
  Without children
33,56833,0035651.7
  With one member in the labor force
28,65825,5273,13110.9
  With two or more members in the labor force
39,44238,9444971.3
    With two members
32,80332,3634401.3
    With three or more members
6,6396,581570.9
Married-couple families [2]

Total
50,52349,1161,4072.8
  With related children under 18 years
24,31723,1831,1334.7
  Without children
26,20625,9322741.0
  With one member in the labor force
17,18716,0771,1106.5
    Husband
11,93111,0908417.0
    Wife
4,5044,2772275.0
    Relative
752709425.6
  With two or more members in the labor force
33,33633,0392970.9
    With two members
28,21527,9512640.9
    With three or more members
5,1215,088330.6
Families maintained by women [3]

Total
11,94010,1261,81415.2
  With related children under 18 years
7,3685,7471,62122.0
  Without children
4,5724,3791934.2
  With one member in the labor force
8,0886,4271,66020.5
    Householder
6,4154,9611,45422.7
    Relative
1,6731,46620712.3
  With two or more members in the labor force
3,8523,6981544.0
Families maintained by men[3]

Total
5,6365,2304067.2
  With related children under 18 years
2,8472,53930810.8
  Without children
2,7902,691983.5
  With one member in the labor force
3,3833,02336010.6
    Householder
2704242128310.5
    Relative
6806037711.3
  With two or more members in the labor force
22532207462.1
[1] Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

[2] Beginning with data for 2018, includes both opposite-sex and same-sex married-couple families. Prior to 2018, included opposite-sex married-couple families only.

[3] Beginning with data for 2018, includes families with no spouse of either sex present. Prior to 2018, included only families with no opposite-sex spouse present.

Note: Data relate to primary families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and work experience, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)Poverty status and work experienceTotalIn married-couple families[1]In families maintained by women[2]In families maintained by men[2]Unrelated individualsHusbandsWivesRelated children under 18 yearsOther relativesHouseholderRelated children under 18 yearsOther relativesHouseholderRelated children under 18 yearsOther relatives
TOTAL, 16 YEARS AND OLDER

All people
258,52761,16862,0215,69222,43915,0392,14514,5406,4616907,05861,276
   With labor force activity
168,61745,71538,2471,33514,10810,4094659,0434,9911944,69339,416
     1 to 26 weeks
12,1631,5142,4717142,4226342641,056257874112,334
     27 weeks or more
156,45444,20235,77762111,6869,7752017,9874,7341084,28137,082
   With no labor force activity
89,91015,45323,7734,3578,3314,6311,6805,4971,4694952,36521,860
At or above poverty level

All people
231,06558,26559,0745,37021,61811,2981,50712,4555,6395856,40948,844
   With labor force activity
159,55744,44637,5951,30113,8818,4933818,4164,5921804,51435,758
     1 to 26 weeks
10,0671,3542,3087022,337302217863179783671,360
     27 weeks or more
149,49043,09235,28759911,5448,1911647,5534,4141024,14734,398
   With no labor force activity
71,50813,82021,4804,0697,7372,8061,1264,0391,0474051,89513,086
Below poverty level

All people
27,4622,9032,9463228213,7416382,08682110464912,432
   With labor force activity
9,0601,269653342271,91684627399141793,658
     1 to 26 weeks
2,09716016313853314719378844975
     27 weeks or more
6,9641,110490221421,5843743432161352,684
   With no labor force activity
18,4021,6332,2942885941,8255531,459422904708,774
RATE[3]

All people
10.64.74.85.73.724.929.714.312.715.19.220.3
   With labor force activity
5.42.81.72.61.618.418.16.98.07.33.89.3
     1 to 26 weeks
17.210.56.61.83.552.317.818.330.49.610.741.8
     27 weeks or more
4.52.51.43.51.216.218.45.46.85.53.27.2
   With no labor force activity
20.510.69.66.67.139.433.026.528.718.219.940.1
[1] Beginning with data for 2018, includes people in both opposite-sex and same-sex married-couple families. Prior to 2018, included opposite-sex married-couple families only.

[2] Beginning with data for 2018, includes people in families with no spouse of either sex present. Prior to 2018, included only families with no opposite-sex spouse present.

[3] Number below the poverty level as a percentage of the total.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and living arrangement, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)CharacteristicTotalAt or above poverty levelBelow poverty levelRate [1]
Age and gender

Total unrelated individuals
37,08234,3982,6847.2
  16 to 19 years
33621012637.5
 20 to 24 years
4,3813,74763414.5
 25 to 64 years
29,34827,5511,7976.1
 65 years and older
3,0172,8901274.2
  Men
20,18718,9101,2776.3
  Women
16,89615,4891,4078.3
Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White
28,14626,2761,8706.6
Men
15,51814,6119085.8
Women
12,62811,6669627.6
Black or African American
5,7655,17858710.2
  Men
2,8812,6122699.3
  Women
2,8832,56631711
Asian
1,8221,7151065.8
  Men
1,020955656.4
  Women
802761425.2
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
5,2634,71654610.4
  Men
3,1772,9152628.3
  Women
2,0851,80128413.6
Living arrangement

Living alone
18,87917,8611,0185.4
Living with others
18,20316,5371,6669.2
[1] Number below the poverty level as percent of total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

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.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
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, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)Labor market problemsTotalAt or above poverty levelBelow poverty levelRate [1]
Total, full-time wage and salary workers
124,053120,7903,2642.6
No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings[2]
107,667106,9547140.7
Workers experiencing one labor market problem

  Unemployment only
4,7274,4652625.5
  Involuntary part-time employment only
2,4722,429431.7
  Low earnings only
6,8505,2801,57022.9
Workers experiencing multiple labor market problems

  Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment
7166328411.8
  Unemployment and low earnings
84753631136.8
  Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings
50033716232.5
  Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings
27315711742.7
Workers experiencing each labor market problem

  Unemployment (alone or with other problems)
6,5645,79077411.8
  Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems)
3,9623,55540610.3
  Low earnings (alone or with other problems)
8,4706,3092,16125.5
[1] Number below the poverty level as percent of total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

[2] The low-earnings threshold in 2018 was $369.59 per week.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

 
Technical Notes
The data presented in this report were collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CPS is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households. Data from the CPS are used to obtain monthly estimates of the nation’s employment and unemployment levels. The ASEC, conducted in the months of February through April, includes questions about work activity and income during the previous calendar year. For instance, data collected in 2019 are for the 2018 calendar year.

Estimates in this report are based on a sample and, consequently, may differ from estimates 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, both small estimates and small differences between estimates should be interpreted with caution. For a detailed explanation of the ASEC supplement to the CPS, its sampling variability, more extensive definitions than those provided here, and additional information about income and poverty measures, see “Income and poverty in the United States: 2018,” *Current Population Reports*, P60–266 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2019), www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-266.pdf.

Material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission.

Upon request, the information in this report is available to individuals who are sensory impaired. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

For more information on the data provided in this report, contact the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Labor Force Statistics. Email: cpsinfo@bls.gov; Telephone: (202) 691-6378.
Concepts and definitions
*Poverty**classification* 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 on the basis of factors such as family size and the number of children under 18 years of age.

The actual poverty thresholds vary with the makeup of the family. In 2018, the weighted average poverty threshold for a family of four was $25,701; for a family of nine or more people, the threshold was $51,393; and for one person (unrelated individual), it was $12,784. Poverty thresholds are updated each year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Thresholds do not vary geographically. For more information, see “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018,” www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-266.pdf.

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 year 1967 was chosen as the base year 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 been adjusted each year since then in accordance with the CPI-U, so the measure maintains the same real value that it held in 1987. In 2018, the low-earnings threshold was $369.59 per week. For a complete definition, see Bruce W. Klein and Philip L. Rones, “A profile of the working poor,” *Monthly Labor Review*, October 1989, pp. 3–11, www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1989/10/art1full.pdf.

Data on *income*are limited to money income—before personal income taxes and payroll deductions— received in the calendar year preceding the CPS supplement. Data on income 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 income, see “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018,” www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-266.pdf.

The *labor force* refers to people who worked or looked for work sometime during the calendar year. The number of weeks in the labor force is accumulated over the entire year. The focus in this report is on people who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

The*working poor* are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force (that is, working or looking for work) but whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level.

The *working-poor rate* is the number of individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level, as a percentage of all people who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks during the calendar year.

*Involuntary part-time workers*are people who, during at least 1 week of the year, worked fewer than 35 hours because of slack work or unfavorable 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.

*Occupation* refers to the job in which a person worked the most weeks during the calendar year.

*Unemployed* people are those who looked for work while not employed or those who were on layoff from a job and were expecting to be recalled to that job. The number of weeks unemployed is accumulated over the entire year.

The *householder* is the family reference person. This is the person, or one of the people, in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented. The relationships of the other individuals in the household are defined in terms of their relationships to the householder. The race or Hispanic ethnicity of the family is determined by that of the householder.

A *family* is a group of two or more people residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption; all such people are considered members of one family. Families include those with or without children under 18 years old. The count of families is for “primary” families only. A primary family consists of a householder and all other people related to and residing with the householder. Sub-families are excluded from the count of families. A sub-family is a family that does not maintain its own household, but lives in the home of someone else. Family status is determined at the time of the survey interview and, thus, may be different from that of the previous year. Families are further categorized as follows:
Married-couple families refer to opposite-sex and same-sex married couples residing together and any of their family members residing in the household.
Families maintained by men or women are made up of householders residing with one or more family members but with no spouse of either sex present. Unmarried domestic partners of either sex may or may not be present in the household.

Beginning in 2018, the definition of married couples in this report includes both opposite-sex and same-sex married couples. Prior to 2018, married-couple families included opposite-sex married-couple families only. Therefore, 2018 estimates for married-couple families and families maintained by men or women may not be comparable to those from prior years because of the change in the definition of marital status.

*Unrelated individuals* are people who are not living with anyone related to them by birth, marriage, or adoption. Such individuals may live alone or live with other individuals to whom they may not be related. Beginning in 2018, estimates for unrelated individuals may not be comparable to those from prior years because of the change in the definition of marital status.

*Related children* refer to children under age 18 who are living in the household and are related to the householder. Included are own children (sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children) of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family, as well as other children related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. Beginning in 2018, estimates for related children may not be comparable to those from prior years because of the change in the definition of marital status.

*Race*is reported by the householder respondent. White, Black or African American, and Asian are categories used to describe the race of people. People in these categories are those who selected that race group only. Data for the two remaining race categories—American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and 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* refers to people who identified themselves in the CPS enumeration process as being of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish ethnicity. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

 
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