1

I

 n 1999, 32.3 million people, or 11.8 percent of the population,

 lived at or below the official poverty level—2.2 million fewer

than in 1998. While most of these people were children and

adults who did not participate in the labor force, some 6.8

million were classified as the “working poor.” This was 362,000

fewer than in 1998, continuing a 6-year downtrend. The working poor are individuals who spent at least 27 weeks in the

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

fell below the official poverty level. Of all persons who worked

27 weeks or more, 5.1 percent were classified among the working poor in 1999, down 0.3 percentage point from the previous

year. (See tables A and 1.)

Working full time substantially lowers a person’s probability of being poor. Among persons in the labor force for 27

weeks or more, 3.9 percent of those usually employed full time

were in poverty, compared with 10.5 percent for part-time workers. Nonetheless, the majority of the working poor—64.0 percent—were full-time workers. Only a very small proportion of

the working poor (3.5 percent) actively sought a job for more

than 6 months in 1999 without finding any work, down from

5.1 percent in 1998.

This report presents data on the relationships between labor force activity and poverty in 1999 for individual workers

and their families. The data were collected in the work experience and income supplement to the March 2000 Current Population Survey (CPS). 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.

For persons living with family members, the earnings thresholds used to determine poverty status are defined in terms of

family income, rather than personal income. Thus, for persons living in family situations, earnings from their employment are only one factor in their poverty status. Other important factors include the earnings of others in the family, other

sources of income that family members might have, and the

size of the family. For persons living alone or with unrelated

individuals, personal income data are used in determining

poverty status.

Demographic characteristics

Among those who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or

more in 1999, the proportion of women classified as working

poor (5.9 percent) was higher than that of men (4.4 percent).

Both rates have fallen since the early 1990s; they had been as

high as 7.3 percent for women and 6.2 percent for men as

recently as 1993. As in earlier years, younger workers were

most vulnerable to poverty, in part because earnings are lower

and unemployment is higher for younger workers than for

older workers. Among teenagers who were in the labor force

for 27 weeks or more, 10.1 percent were in poverty, as were

10.6 percent of those aged 20 to 24. These rates were roughly

double the rate for workers aged 35 to 44 (4.7 percent), and

more than triple the rate for workers 45 to 54 years of age (2.8

percent). (See table 2.)

Black and Hispanic workers continued to experience poverty at much higher rates than did whites. In 1999, 4.3 percent

of whites who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more

were classified as working poor, compared with 10.2 percent

of blacks and 10.7 percent of Hispanics. Nonetheless, the

vast majority of the working poor were white (70 percent).

Among whites and Hispanics, rates for men and women were

comparable; however, the rate for black women (13.6 percent)

was more than twice the rate for black men (6.2 percent). One

explanation for this is that a relatively large proportion of

black women maintain families. Nearly 30 percent of black

women maintained families in 1999, compared with only about

10 percent of white women. As noted below, women maintaining families are far more likely to be among the working

poor than are married women.

Thomas M. Beers, formerly an economist in the Division of Labor

Force Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, prepared this report.

Table A. Poverty status of persons and primary families in

the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1996-99

 Characteristic 1996 1997 1998 1999

Total persons1 ................ 128,320 130,047 131,731 133,651

In poverty ................... 7,421 7,453 7,158 6,796

Poverty rate ................ 5.8 5.7 5.4 5.1

Unrelated individuals ..... 25,539 26,158 26,971 27,845

In poverty ................... 2,423 2,534 2,281 2,272

Poverty rate ................ 9.5 9.7 8.5 8.2

Primary families2 ............ 58,087 58,815 59,621 60,454

In poverty ................... 4,084 4,068 4,019 3,755

Poverty rate ................ 7.0 6.9 6.7 6.2

A Profile of the Working

Poor, 1999

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

February 2001

Report 947

(Numbers in thousands)

1 Includes persons in families, not shown separately. 2 Primary families with at least one member in the labor force for more

than half of the year.
 2

Working wives were less likely than working husbands to

be poor, primarily because working wives were more likely to

be in families with a second earner, usually a husband. (See

“Family structure,” below). In 1999, 1.8 percent of married

women who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more were

in poverty, compared with 3.2 percent of married men. In

contrast, 19.2 percent of women who maintained families and

who were in the labor force for at least 6 months were in

poverty.

Educational attainment

The risk of being among the working poor declines substantially for workers who complete high school. In 1999, 6.0

percent of workers with a high school diploma were in poverty, considerably lower than the proportion of those who

had not completed high school (14.3 percent). Moreover,

rates for workers with associate’s and bachelor’s degrees were

even lower. At nearly all major educational attainment levels,

women were more likely than men and blacks were more likely

than whites to be among the working poor. (See table 3.)

Occupation

The likelihood of being among the working poor continued to

vary widely by occupation in 1999. Nearly 11 percent of all

workers who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks and

whose longest job over the year was in services were poor.

Other occupations with relatively high proportions of workers in poverty included farming, forestry, and fishing (15.7

percent), and operators, fabricators, and laborers (6.9 percent).

Rates were lowest for executives, administrators, and managers (1.7 percent) and for those employed as professional specialty workers (1.4 percent). These are occupations in which

high earnings and full-time employment are typical. (See

table 4.)

Family structure

Among families with at least one member in the labor force for

27 weeks or more, 3.8 million families, or 6.2 percent, had incomes below the poverty line in 1999, down from 6.7 percent

in 1998. The poverty threshold for families reflects both the

total family income and the number of family members; thus,

the larger the family, the higher the level of income needed to

keep the family out of poverty. The fact that the presence and

number of young children can decrease the overall labor supply of a family also contributes to the relatively high incidence of poverty among families with children. In 1999, families with at least one child under age 18 continued to be much

more likely to have incomes below the poverty level than did

families without children (9.3 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively).

The more workers a family has, the less likely that family is

to be living below the poverty line. For example, only 1.8 percent of families with two labor force participants and 1.1 percent of families with three or more participants were among

the working poor. In contrast, 12.8 percent of families with

only one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more were

in poverty. (See tables 5 and 6.)

Unrelated individuals

Unrelated individuals are persons who live either alone or

with nonrelatives. Of the 27.8 million unrelated individuals

who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 1999, 2.3

million, or 8.2 percent, lived below the poverty level. This rate

was down slightly from 8.5 percent in 1998. It should be

noted that the poverty status of unrelated individuals, unlike

that of family members, is determined by their personal incomes.

The living situations of unrelated individuals are characterized in one of two ways: some live by themselves, while

some share housing with other, unrelated persons. Of those

who were labor force participants for more than 6 months in

1999, persons living with unrelated individuals were twice as

likely to be poor (11.3 percent) as were those living alone (5.4

percent). Unrelated individuals with low incomes often live

with others in order to share expenses and pool resources.

Because their poverty status is not determined by household

income, the poverty measure for these unrelated individuals

may overstate their actual economic hardship. Conversely,

many of those who live alone do so because they have sufficient incomes to support themselves. (See table 7.)

Labor market problems

As noted above, people who usually work full time—that is,

35 hours or more per week—are far less likely to live in poverty than are others. However, there remains a sizable group

of full-time workers who live below the poverty threshold.

Among those who participated in the labor force for more

than half of the year and who usually worked in full-time wage

and salary jobs, 3.6 million, or 3.4 percent, were classified as

working poor in 1999. The proportion has been on a downward trend since 1994. (See table 8.)

There are three primary labor market problems experienced

by these full-time workers: Low earnings, periods of unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment. (See definitions of these problems in the technical note.) About 4 out

of 5 of the working poor who usually worked full time experienced at least one of these major labor market problems. Low

earnings continued to be the most common problem encountered—68.2 percent faced low earnings, either alone or in conjunction with other labor market problems. Nearly 35 percent

of the working poor experienced unemployment, either alone

or in conjunction with other problems. Only 4.3 percent experienced all three problems—low earnings, unemployment, and

involuntary part-time employment.

Some 606,000, or 16.8 percent, of these working poor did

not experience any of the three primary labor market problems

in 1999. 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.
3

Source of data

The primary source of data in this report is the work experience and income supplement (the Annual Demographic Survey) to the March 2000 Current Population Survey (CPS).

The CPS is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households

conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect demographic, social, and economic

information about persons 16 years of age and older. Work

experience and income information collected in the March

supplement refers 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 March supplement to the Current Population Survey, its sampling variability, and more extensive definitions than those provided below, see Poverty in the United States: 1999—Current Population Reports, series P-60, no. 210 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2000). This publication also is available on the U.S.

Census Bureau website (http://www.census.gov).

Information in this report will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon 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.

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 1999, the average poverty threshold

for a family of four was $17,029; for a family of nine or more

persons, the threshold was $34,417; and for an unrelated individual aged 65 or older, it was $7,990. 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 Poverty

in the United States: 1999, 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 who currently are 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 1999, the low earnings threshold was $245.21 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 March survey date,

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 employerprovided benefits. For a complete definition of the income

concept, see Poverty in the United States: 1999, cited above.

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

worked or looked for work sometime during the calendar year

preceding the March survey date. The number of weeks in

the labor force is accumulated over the entire year. The focus

in this report is on persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or

more.

Involuntary part-time workers. These are persons 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.

Occupation. Refers to the occupation in which a person

worked the most weeks during the calendar year.

Unemployed. Unemployed persons 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 persons residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or

adoption. Persons in related subfamilies—married couples or

parent-child groups sharing the living quarters of another family member—are included as members of that family and are

not distinct family units. The count of families used in this

Technical Note
 4

report does not include unrelated subfamilies, such as lodgers, guests, or resident employees living in a household but

not related to the householder (the person in whose name the

housing unit is owned or rented). 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 March interview, and thus may be

different from that of the previous year.

Unrelated individuals. These are persons who are not living

with any relatives. Such individuals may be living 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, and “other” are terms used to describe

the race of workers. Included in the “other” group are American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Asians and Pacific Islanders. Because of the relatively small sample size, data for this

group are not separately tabulated or published.

Hispanic origin. This term refers to persons who identify

themselves in the CPS enumeration process as Mexican, Puerto

Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or of some other

Hispanic origin or descent. Persons of Hispanic origin may

be of any race; thus, they also are included in both the white

and black population groups.
Table 1. Persons in the labor force: Poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 1999

(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 ................................................................................ 149,042 133,651 119,376

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 1,503 547 476

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 147,539 133,104 118,901

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 118,368 111,992 103,620

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 29,171 21,111 15,281

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 3,717 2,956 2,333

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 25,454 18,155 12,947

At or above poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 139,376 126,855 113,989

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 940 311 273

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 138,436 126,544 113,716

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 112,692 107,644 100,073

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 25,744 18,900 13,643

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 2,854 2,333 1,830

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 22,890 16,568 11,813

Below poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 9,666 6,796 5,387

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 563 236 202

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 9,103 6,559 5,185

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 5,676 4,348 3,547

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 3,427 2,211 1,638

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 863 624 504

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 2,564 1,587 1,134

Poverty rate1

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 6.5 5.1 4.5

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 37.5 43.2 42.5

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 6.2 4.9 4.4

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 4.8 3.9 3.4

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 11.7 10.5 10.7

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 23.2 21.1 21.6

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 10.1 8.7 8.8

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

force.

 NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and older. Data for 1999, which

were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the Current Population

Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years

because of the introduction in January 2000 of revised population controls

used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the

Current Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000

issue of Employment and Earnings.

 5 
Table 2. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 1999

(Numbers in thousands)

Age and sex Total White Black Hispanic

origin

Below poverty level Poverty rate1

Total White Black Hispanic

origin Total White Black Hispanicorigin

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 133,651 111,714 15,698 13,971 6,796 4,830 1,596 1,496 5.1 4.3 10.2 10.7

16 to 19 years ....................................... 5,207 4,405 596 622 527 365 127 93 10.1 8.3 21.4 15.0

20 to 24 years ....................................... 12,412 10,240 1,675 1,866 1,312 894 367 253 10.6 8.7 21.9 13.6

25 to 34 years ....................................... 30,695 24,839 4,096 4,178 1,835 1,290 433 486 6.0 5.2 10.6 11.6

35 to 44 years ....................................... 36,945 30,612 4,564 3,917 1,726 1,246 387 417 4.7 4.1 8.5 10.7

45 to 54 years ....................................... 29,965 25,468 3,158 2,255 851 631 165 167 2.8 2.5 5.2 7.4

55 to 64 years ....................................... 14,066 12,240 1,271 938 419 313 89 64 3.0 2.6 7.0 6.8

65 years and older ................................ 4,361 3,909 338 195 127 91 27 15 2.9 2.3 8.0 7.7

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 71,790 61,163 7,260 8,267 3,165 2,526 447 898 4.4 4.1 6.2 10.9

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,700 2,312 264 383 234 183 29 60 8.7 7.9 10.9 15.6

20 to 24 years ....................................... 6,488 5,487 741 1,152 575 438 115 156 8.9 8.0 15.5 13.5

25 to 34 years ....................................... 16,728 13,865 1,899 2,558 852 707 93 315 5.1 5.1 4.9 12.3

35 to 44 years ....................................... 19,949 16,877 2,153 2,254 833 674 119 243 4.2 4.0 5.5 10.8

45 to 54 years ....................................... 15,764 13,594 1,455 1,253 402 311 52 91 2.5 2.3 3.5 7.3

55 to 64 years ....................................... 7,595 6,704 582 546 200 159 30 28 2.6 2.4 5.2 5.1

65 years and older ................................ 2,566 2,325 166 122 69 53 10 6 2.7 2.3 5.8 4.9

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 61,861 50,551 8,438 5,704 3,631 2,303 1,149 598 5.9 4.6 13.6 10.5

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,507 2,093 332 239 293 181 99 34 11.7 8.7 29.7 14.1

20 to 24 years ....................................... 5,924 4,753 934 714 737 456 252 98 12.4 9.6 27.0 13.7

25 to 34 years ....................................... 13,967 10,975 2,197 1,620 983 582 340 172 7.0 5.3 15.5 10.6

35 to 44 years ....................................... 16,996 13,735 2,411 1,663 893 571 269 174 5.3 4.2 11.1 10.5

45 to 54 years ....................................... 14,201 11,874 1,703 1,002 450 320 114 76 3.2 2.7 6.7 7.6

55 to 64 years ....................................... 6,472 5,537 689 393 219 154 58 36 3.4 2.8 8.5 9.2

65 years and older ................................ 1,795 1,584 172 73 57 38 17 9 3.2 2.4 10.1 2 ( )

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 75,000.

 NOTE: Detail for race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals

because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics

are included in both the white and black population groups. Data for 1999,

which were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the Current

Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and

earlier years because of the introduction in January 2000 of revised

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

"Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the

February 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings.

 6 
Table 3. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by educational attainment, race, and sex, 1999

(Numbers in thousands)

Educational attainment and race Total Men Women

Below poverty level Poverty rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older ............................ 133,651 71,790 61,861 6,796 3,165 3,631 5.1 4.4 5.9

Less than a high school diploma .................... 15,991 9,728 6,263 2,287 1,257 1,030 14.3 12.9 16.4

 Less than 1 year of high school .................... 4,589 2,999 1,591 701 446 255 15.3 14.9 16.1

 1-3 years of high school ............................... 9,914 5,861 4,054 1,412 720 692 14.2 12.3 17.1

 4 years of high school, no diploma ............... 1,487 868 619 174 91 83 11.7 10.5 13.3

High school graduates, no college ................. 42,601 22,904 19,697 2,535 1,042 1,493 6.0 4.6 7.6

Some college, no degree ................................ 27,294 13,840 13,454 1,192 486 706 4.4 3.5 5.2

Associate degree ............................................ 11,146 5,334 5,812 319 122 196 2.9 2.3 3.4

College graduates .......................................... 36,619 19,984 16,635 463 257 206 1.3 1.3 1.2

 White, 16 years and older ......................... 111,714 61,163 50,551 4,830 2,526 2,303 4.3 4.1 4.6

Less than a high school diploma .................... 13,046 8,160 4,887 1,650 1,019 632 12.6 12.5 12.9

 Less than 1 year of high school .................... 3,967 2,660 1,307 592 410 182 14.9 15.4 13.9

 1-3 years of high school ............................... 7,954 4,822 3,132 944 545 399 11.9 11.3 12.8

 4 years of high school, no diploma ............... 1,126 678 448 114 64 50 10.1 9.4 11.3

High school graduates, no college ................. 35,536 19,448 16,088 1,758 816 942 4.9 4.2 5.9

Some college, no degree ................................ 22,412 11,605 10,807 844 377 467 3.8 3.2 4.3

Associate degree ............................................ 9,507 4,646 4,861 213 93 119 2.2 2.0 2.5

College graduates .......................................... 31,213 17,304 13,908 365 222 143 1.2 1.3 1.0

 Black, 16 years and older ......................... 15,698 7,260 8,438 1,596 447 1,149 10.2 6.2 13.6

Less than a high school diploma .................... 2,206 1,126 1,080 517 168 349 23.4 14.9 32.3

 Less than 1 year of high school .................... 365 213 151 74 17 57 20.2 7.8 37.7

 1-3 years of high school ............................... 1,585 785 800 399 134 264 25.2 17.1 33.0

 4 years of high school, no diploma ............... 257 128 128 44 17 27 17.3 13.5 21.1

High school graduates, no college ................. 5,632 2,733 2,899 668 177 491 11.9 6.5 17.0

Some college, no degree ................................ 3,790 1,644 2,146 276 71 205 7.3 4.3 9.6

Associate degree ............................................ 1,172 457 715 81 14 67 6.9 3.1 9.4

College graduates .......................................... 2,898 1,299 1,598 54 17 37 1.9 1.3 2.3

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

force for 27 weeks or more.

 NOTE: Data for 1999, which were collected in the March 2000 supplement

to the Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for

1998 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2000 of

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

see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 2000" in

the February 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings.

 7 
Table 4. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year: Poverty status by occupation of longest job

held, race, and sex, 1999

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation and race Total Men Women

Below poverty level Poverty rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older2 .............................................. 133,104 71,451 61,652 6,559 3,017 3,543 4.9 4.2 5.7

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 39,908 20,235 19,674 611 289 322 1.5 1.4 1.6

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 19,857 10,917 8,940 339 182 157 1.7 1.7 1.8

 Professional specialty ....................................................... 20,051 9,318 10,734 272 107 165 1.4 1.1 1.5

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 38,875 13,879 24,996 1,610 387 1,222 4.1 2.8 4.9

 Technicians and related support ...................................... 4,495 2,076 2,419 79 43 36 1.8 2.1 1.5

 Sales occupations ............................................................ 15,969 8,069 7,900 955 249 705 6.0 3.1 8.9

 Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 18,411 3,735 14,676 576 95 482 3.1 2.5 3.3

Service occupations ........................................................... 17,928 7,335 10,593 1,937 570 1,367 10.8 7.8 12.9

 Private household ............................................................. 848 46 803 199 9 190 23.4 3 ( ) 23.6

 Protective service ............................................................. 2,381 1,964 417 76 47 29 3.2 2.4 6.9

 Service, except private household and protective ............ 14,699 5,325 9,374 1,662 514 1,148 11.3 9.6 12.3

Precision production, craft, and repair ................................ 14,543 13,155 1,388 621 537 85 4.3 4.1 6.1

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................... 18,418 14,090 4,328 1,263 830 432 6.9 5.9 10.0

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 7,524 4,811 2,714 483 235 248 6.4 4.9 9.1

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............. 5,638 5,059 579 278 228 50 4.9 4.5 8.6

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 5,256 4,221 1,036 502 367 135 9.5 8.7 13.0

Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................................. 3,294 2,642 652 518 404 114 15.7 15.3 17.4

 White, 16 years and older2 ........................................... 111,384 60,949 50,435 4,705 2,438 2,267 4.2 4.0 4.5

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 34,291 17,754 16,537 494 257 236 1.4 1.4 1.4

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 17,311 9,805 7,505 283 164 118 1.6 1.7 1.6

 Professional specialty ....................................................... 16,980 7,948 9,032 211 93 118 1.2 1.2 1.3

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 32,774 11,922 20,852 1,061 318 743 3.2 2.7 3.6

 Technicians and related support ...................................... 3,738 1,743 1,995 63 43 20 1.7 2.5 1.0

 Sales occupations ............................................................ 13,892 7,241 6,651 618 206 412 4.4 2.8 6.2

 Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 15,144 2,939 12,206 380 68 311 2.5 2.3 2.6

Service occupations ........................................................... 13,613 5,636 7,977 1,266 403 863 9.3 7.1 10.8

 Private household ............................................................. 634 29 605 133 3 130 21.0 3 ( ) 21.5

 Protective service ............................................................. 1,805 1,544 261 34 20 14 1.9 1.3 5.5

 Service, except private household and protective ............ 11,173 4,062 7,112 1,098 380 719 9.8 9.4 10.1

Precision production, craft, and repair ................................ 12,845 11,689 1,157 522 460 62 4.1 3.9 5.4

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................... 14,654 11,381 3,274 888 634 254 6.1 5.6 7.8

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 5,971 3,919 2,052 325 174 151 5.4 4.4 7.4

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............. 4,551 4,108 443 209 180 29 4.6 4.4 6.5

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 4,132 3,353 779 354 280 74 8.6 8.3 9.5

Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................................. 3,098 2,475 623 473 365 108 15.3 14.8 17.3

 Black, 16 years and older2 ........................................... 15,528 7,165 8,363 1,502 402 1,100 9.7 5.6 13.1

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 3,352 1,270 2,082 76 17 59 2.3 1.4 2.8

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 1,547 620 927 35 7 28 2.3 1.1 3.1

 Professional specialty ....................................................... 1,805 650 1,155 40 10 30 2.2 1.6 2.6

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 4,401 1,219 3,182 457 39 419 10.4 3.2 13.2

 Technicians and related support ...................................... 495 181 314 12 0 12 2.3 0.0 3.7

 Sales occupations ............................................................ 1,374 484 889 282 19 263 20.5 4.0 29.5

 Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 2,532 553 1,979 164 20 145 6.5 3.5 7.3

Service occupations ........................................................... 3,415 1,280 2,135 577 126 451 16.9 9.8 21.1

 Private household ............................................................. 156 8 147 58 6 52 37.2 3 ( ) 35.2

 Protective service ............................................................. 508 360 148 38 24 14 7.4 6.5 9.5

 Service, except private household and protective ............ 2,751 912 1,839 481 96 385 17.5 10.6 20.9

Precision production, craft, and repair ................................ 1,273 1,116 157 65 46 19 5.1 4.1 11.9

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................... 2,930 2,144 785 292 144 147 10.0 6.7 18.8

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 1,113 648 465 126 48 79 11.3 7.3 16.9

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............. 925 802 122 54 33 21 5.9 4.1 17.3

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 892 694 198 111 64 48 12.5 9.2 24.0

Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................................. 132 117 15 35 30 5 26.9 25.6 3 ( )

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

force who worked during the year. 2 Includes a small number of persons whose last job was in the Armed

Forces. 3 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.

 NOTE: Data for 1999, which were collected in the March 2000 supplement

to the Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for

1998 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2000 of revised

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

"Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the

February 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings.

 8 
Table 5. Persons in families and unrelated individuals: Poverty status and work experience, 1999

(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 persons1 ................................ 209,067 54,714 55,247 5,475 17,180 12,669 1,760 9,763 4,003 429 3,832 43,996

With labor force activity .................. 149,042 43,850 36,715 2,576 12,719 9,370 767 6,712 3,224 168 2,740 30,200

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 15,391 1,574 3,774 1,560 3,001 941 498 1,104 194 82 308 2,355

 27 weeks or more ......................... 133,651 42,276 32,941 1,016 9,718 8,429 269 5,607 3,030 87 2,432 27,845

With no labor force activity ............. 60,025 10,864 18,532 2,900 4,461 3,298 993 3,051 779 261 1,091 13,796

At or above poverty level

 All persons1 ................................ 187,707 52,059 52,575 5,063 16,402 9,144 1,218 8,289 3,531 371 3,548 35,508

With labor force activity .................. 139,376 42,304 35,842 2,488 12,414 7,153 608 6,087 2,944 152 2,614 26,770

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 12,521 1,396 3,493 1,513 2,896 342 380 856 124 73 252 1,197

 27 weeks or more ......................... 126,855 40,909 32,349 975 9,519 6,811 228 5,231 2,820 79 2,362 25,573

With no labor force activity ............. 48,331 9,754 16,733 2,575 3,987 1,991 610 2,202 588 219 934 8,738

Below poverty level

 All persons1 ................................ 21,360 2,655 2,672 413 778 3,525 542 1,474 472 58 284 8,488

With labor force activity .................. 9,666 1,546 873 88 305 2,218 159 625 280 16 126 3,430

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 2,871 179 282 47 105 599 118 248 70 9 56 1,159

 27 weeks or more ......................... 6,796 1,367 592 41 200 1,618 41 377 211 7 69 2,272

With no labor force activity ............. 11,694 1,110 1,798 325 474 1,307 383 849 191 42 158 5,058

Poverty rate2

 All persons1 ................................ 10.2 4.9 4.8 7.5 4.5 27.8 30.8 15.1 11.8 13.5 7.4 19.3

With labor force activity .................. 6.5 3.5 2.4 3.4 2.4 23.7 20.7 9.3 8.7 9.5 4.6 11.4

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 18.7 11.3 7.5 3.0 3.5 63.7 23.7 22.5 35.9 10.6 18.3 49.2

 27 weeks or more ......................... 5.1 3.2 1.8 4.1 2.1 19.2 15.3 6.7 7.0 8.4 2.9 8.2

With no labor force activity ............. 19.5 10.2 9.7 11.2 10.6 39.6 38.6 27.8 24.6 16.1 14.5 36.7

1 Data on families include persons in primary families and unrelated

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

 NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and older. Data for 1999, which

were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the Current Population

Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years

because of the introduction in January 2000 of revised population controls

used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current

Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of

Employment and Earnings.

 9 
Table 6. Primary families: Poverty status, presence of related children, and work experience of family members

in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1999

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total families

At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Poverty rate1

 Total primary families ................................................ 60,454 56,699 3,755 6.2

With related children under 18 .......................................... 34,542 31,337 3,205 9.3

Without children ................................................................ 25,912 25,362 550 2.1

With one member in the labor force .................................. 24,649 21,506 3,143 12.8

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 35,805 35,193 612 1.7

 With two members .......................................................... 29,970 29,421 550 1.8

 With three or more members .......................................... 5,835 5,772 62 1.1

Married-couple families:

With related children under 18 ...................................... 25,658 24,314 1,343 5.2

Without children ............................................................ 21,158 20,845 313 1.5

With one member in the labor force .............................. 15,285 14,083 1,202 7.9

 Husband ...................................................................... 11,413 10,476 937 8.2

 Wife ............................................................................. 3,175 2,967 207 6.5

 Relative ....................................................................... 698 639 58 8.4

With two or more members in the labor force ............... 31,530 31,076 454 1.4

 With two members ...................................................... 26,518 26,112 406 1.5

 With three or more members ...................................... 5,012 4,964 48 1.0

Families maintained by women:

With related children under 18 ...................................... 6,920 5,269 1,651 23.9

Without children ............................................................ 3,154 2,973 181 5.7

With one member in the labor force .............................. 7,189 5,498 1,691 23.5

 Householder ................................................................ 5,870 4,380 1,490 25.4

 Relative ....................................................................... 1,319 1,118 201 15.2

With two or more members in the labor force ............... 2,885 2,744 141 4.9

Families maintained by men:

With related children under 18 ...................................... 1,965 1,754 211 10.7

Without children ............................................................ 1,600 1,543 56 3.5

With one member in the labor force .............................. 2,175 1,925 250 11.5

 Householder ................................................................ 1,795 1,602 193 10.8

 Relative ....................................................................... 380 323 57 14.9

With two or more members in the labor force ............... 1,390 1,372 18 1.3

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. Data for 1999,

which were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the

Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data

for 1998 and earlier years because of the introduction in January

2000 of revised population controls used in the survey. For

additional information, see "Revisions in the Current Population

Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of

Employment and Earnings.

 10 
Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, Hispanic

origin, and living arrangement, 1999

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Poverty rate1

Age and sex

 Total unrelated individuals ....................................................................... 27,845 25,573 2,272 8.2

16 to 19 years ................................................................................................... 621 400 221 35.6

20 to 24 years ................................................................................................... 3,608 2,986 622 17.2

25 to 64 years ................................................................................................... 22,435 21,069 1,367 6.1

65 years and older ............................................................................................ 1,180 1,118 62 5.3

Men ................................................................................................................... 15,362 14,214 1,148 7.5

Women ............................................................................................................. 12,483 11,360 1,124 9.0

Race and Hispanic origin

White ................................................................................................................ 23,069 21,258 1,811 7.8

 Men ................................................................................................................ 12,777 11,823 955 7.5

 Women .......................................................................................................... 10,291 9,435 856 8.3

Black ................................................................................................................. 3,642 3,262 381 10.5

 Men ................................................................................................................ 1,930 1,775 155 8.0

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,713 1,487 226 13.2

Hispanic origin .................................................................................................. 2,283 1,998 286 12.5

 Men ................................................................................................................ 1,521 1,349 172 11.3

 Women .......................................................................................................... 762 649 113 14.9

Living arrangement

Living alone ...................................................................................................... 14,765 13,969 796 5.4

Living with others .............................................................................................. 13,080 11,604 1,476 11.3

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

labor force for 27 weeks or more.

 NOTE: Detail for race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to

totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented

and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population

groups. Data for 1999, which were collected in the March 2000

supplement to the Current Population Survey, are not strictly

comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years because of the

introduction in January 2000 of revised population controls used in

the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current

Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000

issue of Employment and Earnings.

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

wage and salary workers, 1999

(Numbers in thousands)

Poverty status and labor market problems Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Poverty rate1

 Total, full-time wage and salary workers ..................................................... 104,968 101,369 3,599 3.4

No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings2 ......... 86,868 86,262 606 .7

Unemployment only .......................................................................................... 5,320 4,907 413 7.8

Involuntary part-time employment only ............................................................. 2,025 1,983 42 2.1

Low earnings only ............................................................................................. 7,444 5,939 1,505 20.2

Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment .................................... 883 800 83 9.4

Unemployment and low earnings ..................................................................... 1,426 820 606 42.5

Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings ........................................ 623 435 189 30.3

Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings ............. 377 222 155 41.1

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 1999 was $245.21 per week.

 NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and older. Data for 1999,

which were collected in the March 2000 supplement to the Current

Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 1998

and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2000 of

revised population controls used in the survey. For additional

information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey

Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of Employment

and Earnings.

 11