1

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

June 2003

Report 968

A Profile of the Working

Poor, 2001

Abraham Mosisa, an economist in the Division of Labor Force Statistics,

Bureau of Labor Statistics, prepared this report.

Total persons ............

In poverty ............... 

Rate ....................... 

Unrelated individuals ..

In poverty ................

Rate ........................

Primary families .......... 

In poverty ................

Rate ........................

Characteristic

Table A. Poverty status of persons and primary families in the

labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1999-2001

(Numbers in thousands)

1999 2000

3

4

 

 133,651 135,626 137,398 138,143

 6,796 6,351 6,483 6,802

 5.1 4.7 4.7 4.9

 27,845 29,041 29,258 29,387

 2,272 2,198 2,238 2,388

 8.2 7.6 7.6 8.1

 60,454 60,870 61,879 62,251

 3,755 3,417 3,492 3,697

 6.2 5.6 5.6 5.9

1 Estimates based on 1990 census population controls.

2 Estimates based on Census 2000 population controls and an

expanded sample. See Technical Note for details. 3 Includes persons in families, not shown separately.

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

more than half of the year.

1 2

I

n 2001, 32.9 million people, or 11.7 percent of the population,

lived at or below the official poverty level. This was an increase of 1.3 million from 2000. Most of the poor were children, or adults who had not participated in the labor force

during the year. However, about 6.8 million were in the labor

force for 27 weeks or more during the year. These persons

were classified as the working poor, and represented 4.9 percent of all persons who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or

more. The ranks of the working poor increased by 319,000 (0.2

percentage point) from the previous year. (See tables A and 1.)

This report presents data on the relationships between

labor force activity and poverty in 2001 for workers and their

families. As defined for this report, 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. The specific income thresholds that are

used to determine persons poverty status depend on whether

the individuals are family members or live alone or with nonrelatives. For family members, the poverty threshold is determined by their families total income; for persons not living

in families, their personal income is used as the determinant.

The data were collected in the 2002 Annual Social and

Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey

(CPS). The data on the working poor presented in this report

reflect two major changesthe use of an expanded supplement sample and the introduction of Census 2000-based population controls to the CPS. Beginning in 2001 (with the collection of data for 2000), the Annual Social and Economic

Supplement has been administered to parts of the CPS samples

for February and April as well as to the entire sample for March.

Previously, the supplement was administered to the March

sample only. As a result, the sample size of the supplement

has expanded to 78,000 households from its original 50,000

households.

Although the supplement was expanded in 2001, the data

on the working poor in 2000, published in BLS Report 957 in

March 2002, still were based solely on the 50,000 households

for March; the additional 28,000 households were not used

because their effect on the CPS estimates had not been fully

assessed. In order to facilitate historical comparisons, this

report includes data for 2000 that were revised to reflect both

the expanded sample and the new population controls.

Because they are based on the expanded sample and new

Census 2000 population controls, the data for 2000 and 2001

presented in this report are not directly comparable with previously published data for earlier years. For a more detailed

description of the data and an explanation of the concepts

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

Some notable findings from the 2001 data include:

 The rise in the percent of persons in the labor force for

27 weeks or more who were classified as working poor in 2001

was the first year-to-year increase since 1992-93 and reflected

the impact of the recession that began in March 2001. Despite the increase, however, the proportion remained well

below the series high of 6.7 percent in 1993.

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

weeks or more in 2001, 3.6 percent of those usually employed

full time were classified as working poor, compared with 10.5

percent for those who were part-time workers.

 The proportion of the working poor who had searched

for a job for at least 6 months in 2001 without success was 5.6

percent. Not surprisingly, this was up from 4.7 percent in the

previous year.

Demographic characteristics

In 2001, the proportion of those who were in the labor force

for 27 weeks or more who were classified as working poor

2000 2001
2

continued to be higher for women than for men5.5 versus

4.4 percenteven though the proportion of working men

living in poverty edged up by 0.3 percentage point over the

year, while that for women was unchanged. The rates for

both groups remain well below their decade-high levels in

1993 of 7.3 percent for women and 6.2 percent for men. (See

table 2.)

Young workers are more vulnerable to poverty than are

those in other age groups, partly because their earnings are

lower and they are more likely to be unemployed than are

older workers. Among the youths who were in the labor force

for 27 weeks or more in 2001, 10.4 percent of 16- to 19-year

olds and 9.9 percent of 20- to 24-year olds were in poverty.

These rates were more than double the rate for workers aged

35 to 44 (4.3 percent), and more than triple the rate for workers

45 to 54 years of age (2.9 percent). (See table 2.)

Minority teenage workers, in particular, are more likely to

be in poverty. Among teenagers who were in the labor force

for 27 weeks or more, 23.3 percent of blacks and 14.3 percent

of Hispanics were in poverty, compared with 8.8 percent of

whites. Overall, Hispanic and black workers were disproportionately represented among the working poor, as they continued to experience poverty at rates that were more than

twice that of whites (10.1 and 9.6 percent versus 4.3 percent,

respectively).

Educational attainment

The incidence of living in poverty greatly diminishes as workers achieve higher levels of education. In 2001, only 1.5

percent of college graduates were counted among the working poor, compared with 5.8 percent of high school graduates

(no college), and 13.1 percent of high school dropouts. At all

major educational attainment levels except college graduates,

women were more likely than men to be among the working

poor. At all major educational attainment levels, blacks were

more likely to be among the working poor than were whites.

(See table 3.)

Occupation

The likelihood of being among the working poor varies widely

by occupation. During 2001, farm workers and service employees were more likely to be classified as working poor

than were workers in other occupations. The 2.0 million

working poor in service occupations, in fact, accounted

for 31.3 percent of all those classified as the working poor.

Within the category of service workers, 20.4 percent of

private household workers (that is, housekeepers, childcare

workers, and cooks) were among the working poor. The

proportion of service workers other than those in private

households or protective services (occupations such as bartenders, waiters and waitresses, dental assistants, janitors,

hairdressers, and others) classified as working poor was 11.6

percent. Persons employed in managerial and professional

specialty occupations were least likely to be classified as

working poor (1.4 percent). (See table 4.)

Family structure

Nearly 3.7 million families with at least one member in the

labor force for 27 weeks or more (5.9 percent of all such families) lived below the poverty level in 2001. This was up from

5.6 percent in the previous year. Married-couple families with

one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more had a

lower incidence of poverty than did either families maintained

by women or families maintained by men (no spouse present).

This was true regardless of which member of the marriedcouple family was in the labor force. (See table 6.)

Working wives are less likely than working husbands to be

poor, primarily because working wives are more likely to be in

families with a second earner, usually a husband. In 2001, 1.7

percent of married women who were in the labor force for 27

weeks or more were in poverty, compared with 3.1 percent of

married men. In comparison, 17 percent of women who maintained families and who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or

more were in poverty. (See table 5.)

The poverty threshold for families reflects both the total

family income and the number of family members. The more

workers a family has, the higher its income is likely to be and,

therefore, the less likely the family is to be living below the

poverty line. For example, only 0.8 percent of families with

three or more members in the labor force for 27 weeks or more

and 1.7 percent of families with two such labor force participants were among the working poor in 2001. In contrast, 12.2

percent of families with only one member in the labor force for

27 weeks or more were in poverty. (See table 6.)

The larger the family, however, the higher the level of income needed to keep the family out of poverty. In addition,

the presence of children can reduce the ability of one or both

of the parents to participate fully in the labor force. Thus,

working families with children, regardless of type of family,

had higher poverty rates than families without children. The

difference was greatest among families maintained by

women. Among these families, 21.3 percent of those with children were poor in 2001, compared with 5.2 percent of those

without children.

Unrelated individuals

Unrelated individuals are persons who live either alone or

with nonrelatives. Of the 29.4 million unrelated individuals

who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2001, 8.1

percent lived below the poverty level. This was up from 7.6

percent in 2000. Teenagers who were in the labor force for 27

weeks or more and were living on their own or with others not

related to them were more vulnerable to being poor. In 2001,

39.5 percent of such teenagers lived below the poverty level,

up from 36.7 percent in 2000. 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

others share housing with unrelated persons. Of those who

were labor force participants for more than 6 months in 2001,

persons living with unrelated individuals were more than twice
3

as likely as those living alone to be poor (11.4 percent and 5.3

percent, respectively). The proportion living in poverty increased for both of these groups over the year. 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 earlier, people who usually work full time are far less

likely to live in poverty than are others. 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 more than half of the year and who usually worked in fulltime wage and salary jobs, 3.5 million, or 3.2 percent, were

classified as working poor in 2001. This proportion was virtually unchanged from a year earlier, after trending downward

from 1994 to 2000. (See table 8.)

There are three major labor market problems that can impede a workers ability to earn an income above the poverty

threshold: Low earnings, periods of unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment. (See Technical Note for

definitions.)

In 2001, about 83 percent 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, with 68.2 percent facing low

earnings, either alone or in conjunction with other labor

market problems. About 32.7 percent of the working poor experienced unemployment, either alone or in conjunction with

other problems. Only 5.3 percent experienced all three problemslow earnings, unemployment, and involuntary part-time

employment.

Some 593,000, or 17 percent, of the working poor did not

experience any of the three primary labor market problems in

2001. 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.
4

Source of data

The primary source of data in this report is the 2002 Annual

Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population

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

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

The Annual Social and Economic Supplement is asked of part

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

sample for March, comprising a total of 78,000 households.

The work experience and income information collected in

the Annual Social and Economic 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

Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS, its

sampling variability, and more extensive definitions than

those provided below, see Poverty in the United States: 2001,

Current Population Reports, series P-60, no. 219 (U.S. Census

Bureau, September 2002). This publication also is available

on the Census Bureau Web site at http://www.census.gov/

hhes/www/poverty01.html.

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.

Comparability of estimates

The estimates for calendar years 2000 and 2001 shown in this

report incorporate two major changes. As a consequence, the

estimates for 2000 shown here may differ from those previously published for the same period, and the data for both

2000 and 2001 contained in this report are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years.

First, the estimates shown here for both years are based on

a expanded sample of 78,000 households. Estimates of the

working poor that had been published previously for calendar year 2000 were based on data collected in March 2001

from a sample of 50,000 households. An additional 28,000

household were added in 2001, with data collected from parts

of the February and April CPS samples in order to improve

Technical Note

estimates of childrens health insurance coverage by State.

The additional sample, however, was not used at that time to

produce calendar-year 2000 estimates of the working poor

because the effects of the additional sample on the data had

not been fully assessed.

The second change was the use of Census 2000-based

population controls in the estimation process for data on the

working poor for both calendar years 2000 and 2001. Sample

results from the CPS are weighted up to independent estimates of the population by sex, age, race, and Hispanic/nonHispanic origin. The weights, or population controls, are developed using counts of the civilian noninstitutional population derived from the most recent decennial census and are

updated using information from administrative records.

Previously published estimates of the working poor for 2000

were based on population controls from the 1990 census.

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 U.S. Department of Agricultures

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 2001, the average poverty

threshold for a family of four was $18,104; for a family of nine

or more persons, the threshold was $36,286; and for an unrelated individual aged 65 or older, it was $8,494. 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: 2001, cited above.

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

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

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

year in which minimum-wage legislation covered essentially

the same broad group of workers that currently is covered.

The low-earnings level has subsequently been adjusted each

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

real value that it held in 1987. In 2001, the low-earnings threshold was $260.66 per week. For a more complete definition, see

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

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

Income. Data on income are limited to money income received in the calendar year preceding the supplement, before
5

personal income taxes and payroll deductions. They do not

include the value of noncash benefits such as Food Stamps,

Medicare, Medicaid, public housing, and employer-provided

benefits. For a complete definition of the income concept, see

Poverty in the United States: 2001, 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 supplement. 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. The count of families used in this report includes

only primary familes. A primary family includes the reference

person (householder) and all of the persons living in the

household who are related to the reference person. Families

are classified either as married-couple families or as those

maintained by men or women without spouses present. Family status is determined at the time of the interview, and thus

may be different from that of the previous year.

Unrelated individuals. These are persons who are not living

with any relatives. Such individuals may live alone, reside in

a nonrelated family household, or live in group quarters with

other unrelated individuals.

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

and all other children related to the householder by birth,

marriage, or adoption.

Race. White, black, and other are terms used to describe

the race of workers. Included in the other group are American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Asians and Pacific Islanders. Because of their 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, 2001

(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 ................................................................................ 152,300 138,143 124,528

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 2,014 837 713

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 150,286 137,306 123,815

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 121,182 115,751 107,796

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 29,103 21,555 16,019

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 4,233 3,437 2,741

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 24,870 18,118 13,278

At or above poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 142,995 131,341 118,992

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 1,214 457 388

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 141,781 130,885 118,604

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 116,014 111,602 104,279

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 25,767 19,283 14,326

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 3,260 2,675 2,145

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 22,506 16,607 12,181

Below poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 9,305 6,802 5,536

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 800 380 325

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 8,505 6,422 5,210

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 5,168 4,149 3,517

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 3,337 2,273 1,693

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 973 762 596

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 2,364 1,511 1,097

Rate1

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 6.1 4.9 4.4

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 39.7 45.4 45.6

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 5.7 4.7 4.2

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 4.3 3.6 3.3

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 11.5 10.5 10.6

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 23.0 22.2 21.7

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 9.5 8.3 8.3

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

force.

 NOTE: Estimates are based on Census 2000 population controls and

an expanded sample and are not strictly comparable with estimates for

earlier years previously published. See the Technical Note for additional

information. 

6
Table 2. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 2001

(Numbers in thousands)

Age and sex Total White Black Hispanic

origin

Below poverty level Rate1

Total White Black Hispanic

origin Total White Black Hispanicorigin

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 138,143 114,874 15,657 16,463 6,802 4,906 1,503 1,659 4.9 4.3 9.6 10.1

16 to 19 years ....................................... 4,848 4,136 519 710 506 362 121 102 10.4 8.8 23.3 14.3

20 to 24 years ....................................... 13,011 10,667 1,648 2,350 1,292 934 282 254 9.9 8.8 17.1 10.8

25 to 34 years ....................................... 31,307 25,314 3,966 5,349 1,988 1,432 474 607 6.3 5.7 11.9 11.3

35 to 44 years ....................................... 36,368 29,874 4,399 4,229 1,581 1,134 336 441 4.3 3.8 7.6 10.4

45 to 54 years ....................................... 32,128 27,034 3,363 2,530 922 660 190 173 2.9 2.4 5.6 6.8

55 to 64 years ....................................... 16,008 13,902 1,386 1,081 443 339 78 70 2.8 2.4 5.6 6.5

65 years and older ................................ 4,473 3,948 377 215 70 45 23 12 1.6 1.1 6.2 5.6

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 74,316 62,899 7,295 9,787 3,275 2,562 520 992 4.4 4.1 7.1 10.1

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,483 2,119 261 405 232 170 53 59 9.4 8.0 20.2 14.5

20 to 24 years ....................................... 6,854 5,708 761 1,451 545 417 85 153 7.9 7.3 11.1 10.6

25 to 34 years ....................................... 17,248 14,286 1,843 3,350 953 775 137 377 5.5 5.4 7.4 11.3

35 to 44 years ....................................... 19,611 16,490 2,010 2,501 782 616 119 275 4.0 3.7 5.9 11.0

45 to 54 years ....................................... 16,949 14,471 1,572 1,348 501 384 77 81 3.0 2.7 4.9 6.0

55 to 64 years ....................................... 8,599 7,545 651 602 231 179 41 39 2.7 2.4 6.3 6.5

65 years and older ................................ 2,572 2,279 196 129 32 21 9 8 1.2 0.9 4.5 5.9

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 63,827 51,976 8,363 6,677 3,526 2,344 983 667 5.5 4.5 11.8 10.0

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,365 2,017 258 305 274 192 68 43 11.6 9.5 26.5 14.0

20 to 24 years ....................................... 6,157 4,958 886 898 747 517 197 101 12.1 10.4 22.3 11.3

25 to 34 years ....................................... 14,059 11,028 2,122 1,999 1,035 657 337 230 7.4 6.0 15.9 11.5

35 to 44 years ....................................... 16,757 13,384 2,389 1,728 799 518 216 166 4.8 3.9 9.1 9.6

45 to 54 years ....................................... 15,179 12,562 1,790 1,182 421 276 112 91 2.8 2.2 6.3 7.7

55 to 64 years ....................................... 7,409 6,357 736 479 212 160 37 31 2.9 2.5 5.0 6.5

65 years and older ................................ 1,900 1,669 181 85 38 24 14 4 2.0 1.4 7.9 5.2

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. Estimates are

based on Census 2000 population controls and an expanded sample and

are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years previously

published. See the Technical Note for additional information. 

7
Table 3. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by educational attainment, race, and sex, 2001

(Numbers in thousands)

Educational attainment and race Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older ............................ 138,143 74,316 63,827 6,802 3,275 3,526 4.9 4.4 5.5

Less than a high school diploma .................... 16,776 10,370 6,406 2,194 1,206 988 13.1 11.6 15.4

 Less than 1 year of high school .................... 5,053 3,375 1,679 785 518 267 15.5 15.4 15.9

 1-3 years of high school ............................... 9,861 5,820 4,041 1,246 611 634 12.6 10.5 15.7

 4 years of high school, no diploma ............... 1,861 1,175 686 164 77 87 8.8 6.5 12.6

High school graduates, no college ................. 42,802 23,053 19,749 2,500 1,126 1,374 5.8 4.9 7.0

Some college, no degree ................................ 27,032 13,774 13,258 1,185 492 693 4.4 3.6 5.2

Associate degree ............................................ 12,220 5,820 6,400 322 114 208 2.6 2.0 3.2

College graduates .......................................... 39,313 21,299 18,014 600 337 264 1.5 1.6 1.5

 White, 16 years and older ......................... 114,874 62,899 51,976 4,906 2,562 2,344 4.3 4.1 4.5

Less than a high school diploma .................... 13,693 8,717 4,975 1,646 968 678 12.0 11.1 13.6

 Less than 1 year of high school .................... 4,341 2,975 1,366 697 469 228 16.1 15.8 16.7

 1-3 years of high school ............................... 7,907 4,798 3,109 845 445 400 10.7 9.3 12.9

 4 years of high school, no diploma ............... 1,444 945 500 104 55 49 7.2 5.8 9.9

High school graduates, no college ................. 35,541 19,442 16,098 1,684 831 853 4.7 4.3 5.3

Some college, no degree ................................ 22,135 11,476 10,658 867 385 483 3.9 3.4 4.5

Associate degree ............................................ 10,313 5,022 5,291 232 89 143 2.2 1.8 2.7

College graduates .......................................... 33,193 18,240 14,953 477 290 187 1.4 1.6 1.2

 Black, 16 years and older ......................... 15,657 7,295 8,363 1,503 520 983 9.6 7.1 11.8

Less than a high school diploma .................... 2,238 1,158 1,080 448 179 269 20.0 15.4 25.0

 Less than 1 year of high school .................... 411 238 173 74 39 35 17.9 16.2 20.4

 1-3 years of high school ............................... 1,518 750 768 330 128 202 21.7 17.1 26.3

 4 years of high school, no diploma ............... 309 170 139 45 12 32 14.5 7.2 23.3

High school graduates, no college ................. 5,441 2,649 2,792 672 230 442 12.3 8.7 15.8

Some college, no degree ................................ 3,686 1,693 1,993 244 74 170 6.6 4.4 8.5

Associate degree ............................................ 1,361 538 823 73 15 58 5.3 2.7 7.0

College graduates .......................................... 2,931 1,256 1,676 67 23 44 2.3 1.9 2.6

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

force for 27 weeks or more.

 NOTE: Estimates are based on Census 2000 population controls and an

expanded sample and are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier

years previously published. See the Technical Note for additional

information. 

8
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, 2001

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation and race Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older2 .............................................. 137,306 73,837 63,470 6,422 3,057 3,365 4.7 4.1 5.3

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 42,476 21,337 21,138 614 284 330 1.4 1.3 1.6

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 21,156 11,505 9,650 281 144 137 1.3 1.3 1.4

 Professional specialty ....................................................... 21,320 9,832 11,488 333 140 193 1.6 1.4 1.7

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 39,101 14,093 25,008 1,629 450 1,179 4.2 3.2 4.7

 Technicians and related support ...................................... 4,566 1,993 2,573 71 32 39 1.6 1.6 1.5

 Sales occupations ............................................................ 15,916 8,106 7,810 942 294 648 5.9 3.6 8.3

 Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 18,619 3,994 14,625 616 124 492 3.3 3.1 3.4

Service occupations ........................................................... 18,636 7,557 11,079 2,008 617 1,391 10.8 8.2 12.6

 Private household ............................................................. 658 28 629 134 6 128 20.4 3 ( ) 20.3

 Protective service ............................................................. 2,455 1,953 502 73 42 31 3.0 2.2 6.1

 Service, except private household and protective ............ 15,523 5,576 9,947 1,801 568 1,233 11.6 10.2 12.4

Precision production, craft, and repair ................................ 15,231 13,861 1,370 654 585 69 4.3 4.2 5.0

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................... 18,611 14,385 4,225 1,059 751 307 5.7 5.2 7.3

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 7,153 4,621 2,531 337 191 145 4.7 4.1 5.7

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............. 5,992 5,383 609 266 217 49 4.4 4.0 8.1

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 5,466 4,381 1,085 456 343 113 8.3 7.8 10.4

Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................................. 3,184 2,549 635 455 366 89 14.3 14.4 14.0

 White, 16 years and older2 ........................................... 114,350 62,585 51,764 4,695 2,429 2,266 4.1 3.9 4.4

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 36,465 18,600 17,865 472 234 239 1.3 1.3 1.3

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 18,530 10,306 8,225 215 117 98 1.2 1.1 1.2

 Professional specialty ....................................................... 17,935 8,294 9,641 257 117 140 1.4 1.4 1.5

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 32,667 11,916 20,751 1,140 348 792 3.5 2.9 3.8

 Technicians and related support ...................................... 3,774 1,621 2,153 57 28 28 1.5 1.7 1.3

 Sales occupations ............................................................ 13,669 7,142 6,528 654 230 424 4.8 3.2 6.5

 Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 15,223 3,153 12,070 429 90 339 2.8 2.9 2.8

Service occupations ........................................................... 14,047 5,752 8,296 1,329 413 916 9.5 7.2 11.0

 Private household ............................................................. 520 20 499 95 3 92 18.3 3 ( ) 18.4

 Protective service ............................................................. 1,854 1,535 319 35 18 17 1.9 1.2 5.2

 Service, except private household and protective ............ 11,674 4,197 7,477 1,199 392 807 10.3 9.3 10.8

Precision production, craft, and repair ................................ 13,458 12,345 1,113 559 508 51 4.2 4.1 4.6

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................... 14,798 11,655 3,143 779 592 187 5.3 5.1 6.0

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 5,630 3,788 1,842 248 154 94 4.4 4.1 5.1

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............. 4,834 4,365 470 200 165 35 4.1 3.8 7.5

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 4,334 3,502 832 331 273 58 7.6 7.8 7.0

Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................................. 2,864 2,279 585 412 331 82 14.4 14.5 13.9

 Black, 16 years and older2 ........................................... 15,389 7,152 8,237 1,349 441 907 8.8 6.2 11.0

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 3,329 1,248 2,081 106 31 75 3.2 2.5 3.6

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 1,516 612 904 48 17 30 3.2 2.9 3.4

 Professional specialty ....................................................... 1,813 636 1,177 58 14 44 3.2 2.1 3.8

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 4,433 1,332 3,101 387 57 330 8.7 4.3 10.6

 Technicians and related support ...................................... 471 172 299 −−−−−−

 Sales occupations ............................................................ 1,436 563 873 230 37 193 16.0 6.5 22.1

 Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 2,526 597 1,929 149 20 129 5.9 3.4 6.7

Service occupations ........................................................... 3,423 1,291 2,133 544 155 389 15.9 12.0 18.2

 Private household ............................................................. 96 2 93 27 − 27 28.0 3 ( ) 28.7

 Protective service ............................................................. 517 354 163 32 19 14 6.3 5.2 8.5

 Service, except private household and protective ............ 2,811 934 1,876 485 137 348 17.3 14.6 18.6

Precision production, craft, and repair ................................ 1,121 990 131 69 59 11 6.2 5.9 8.2

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................... 2,854 2,087 766 204 107 97 7.2 5.1 12.7

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 1,070 611 459 63 27 36 5.9 4.4 7.8

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............. 956 831 125 45 33 12 4.7 4.0 9.3

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 828 645 182 97 47 50 11.7 7.3 27.3

Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................................. 216 191 25 39 32 6 17.8 16.9 3 ( )

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

force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year. 2 Includes a small number of persons whose last job was in the Armed

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

 NOTE: Estimates are based on Census 2000 population controls and an

expanded sample and are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier

years previously published. See the Technical Note for additional

information. Dash represents zero or rounds to zero.

9
Table 5. Persons in families and unrelated individuals: Poverty status and work experience, 2001

(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 ................................ 216,788 56,160 56,712 5,416 17,386 13,118 1,856 9,965 4,420 455 4,459 46,840

With labor force activity .................. 152,300 44,872 37,186 2,273 12,524 9,720 686 6,689 3,526 159 3,083 31,582

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 14,157 1,480 3,504 1,316 2,783 789 428 1,082 192 82 306 2,195

 27 weeks or more ......................... 138,143 43,392 33,682 957 9,741 8,931 258 5,607 3,334 77 2,778 29,387

With no labor force activity ............. 64,488 11,287 19,527 3,144 4,862 3,397 1,170 3,276 894 296 1,376 15,258

At or above poverty level

 All persons1 ................................ 194,586 53,430 53,954 5,113 16,716 9,652 1,384 8,555 3,837 381 4,075 37,492

With labor force activity .................. 142,995 43,390 36,317 2,214 12,280 7,710 550 6,105 3,182 145 2,942 28,161

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 11,654 1,328 3,218 1,279 2,683 293 334 881 124 78 274 1,162

 27 weeks or more ......................... 131,341 42,062 33,098 935 9,597 7,417 216 5,225 3,058 67 2,669 26,999

With no labor force activity ............. 51,591 10,040 17,637 2,898 4,436 1,941 834 2,449 655 236 1,133 9,332

Below poverty level

 All persons1 ................................ 22,201 2,730 2,758 304 670 3,466 472 1,410 583 75 384 9,348

With labor force activity .................. 9,305 1,482 869 59 244 2,010 136 583 344 14 141 3,421

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 2,503 152 285 37 100 496 94 201 68 5 32 1,034

 27 weeks or more ......................... 6,802 1,331 583 22 145 1,514 42 382 277 10 109 2,388

With no labor force activity ............. 12,897 1,247 1,890 245 426 1,456 336 827 239 60 243 5,927

Rate2

 All persons1 ................................ 10.2 4.9 4.9 5.6 3.9 26.4 25.4 14.2 13.2 16.4 8.6 20.0

With labor force activity .................. 6.1 3.3 2.3 2.6 2.0 20.7 19.9 8.7 9.8 9.1 4.6 10.8

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 17.7 10.2 8.1 2.8 3.6 62.8 22.0 18.6 35.3 5.9 10.5 47.1

 27 weeks or more ......................... 4.9 3.1 1.7 2.3 1.5 17.0 16.2 6.8 8.3 12.4 3.9 8.1

With no labor force activity ............. 20.0 11.1 9.7 7.8 8.8 42.9 28.7 25.2 26.8 20.4 17.7 38.8

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. Estimates are based on

Census 2000 population controls and an expanded sample and are not

strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years previously published. 

See the Technical Note for additional information. 

10
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, 2001

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total families At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate1

 Total primary families ................................................ 62,251 58,553 3,697 5.9

With related children under 18 .......................................... 35,542 32,418 3,125 8.8

Without children ................................................................ 26,708 26,136 573 2.1

With one member in the labor force .................................. 25,626 22,505 3,121 12.2

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 36,625 36,048 576 1.6

 With two members .......................................................... 30,712 30,180 532 1.7

 With three or more members .......................................... 5,913 5,868 44 .8

Married-couple families:

With related children under 18 ...................................... 26,159 24,856 1,303 5.0

Without children ............................................................ 21,692 21,364 329 1.5

With one member in the labor force .............................. 15,550 14,318 1,231 7.9

 Husband ...................................................................... 11,691 10,747 944 8.1

 Wife ............................................................................. 3,224 2,977 246 7.6

 Relative ....................................................................... 635 594 41 6.5

With two or more members in the labor force ............... 32,301 31,901 400 1.2

 With two members ...................................................... 27,301 26,927 374 1.4

 With three or more members ...................................... 5,000 4,974 26 .5

Families maintained by women:

With related children under 18 ...................................... 7,297 5,740 1,557 21.3

Without children ............................................................ 3,210 3,041 168 5.2

With one member in the labor force .............................. 7,657 6,066 1,591 20.8

 Householder ................................................................ 6,367 4,967 1,400 22.0

 Relative ....................................................................... 1,290 1,099 191 14.8

With two or more members in the labor force ............... 2,850 2,716 134 4.7

Families maintained by men:

With related children under 18 ...................................... 2,086 1,821 265 12.7

Without children ............................................................ 1,807 1,731 76 4.2

With one member in the labor force .............................. 2,419 2,120 299 12.3

 Householder ................................................................ 1,972 1,732 240 12.2

 Relative ....................................................................... 447 388 59 13.1

With two or more members in the labor force ............... 1,474 1,432 42 2.9

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. Estimates are based on

Census 2000 population controls and an expanded sample and

are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years

previously published. See the Technical Note for additional

information. 

11
Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, Hispanic

origin, and living arrangement, 2001

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate1

Age and sex

 Total unrelated individuals ....................................................................... 29,387 26,999 2,388 8.1

16 to 19 years ................................................................................................... 576 349 227 39.5

20 to 24 years ................................................................................................... 3,928 3,258 670 17.1

25 to 64 years ................................................................................................... 23,603 22,140 1,463 6.2

65 years and older ............................................................................................ 1,280 1,253 27 2.1

Men ................................................................................................................... 16,199 14,945 1,255 7.7

Women ............................................................................................................. 13,187 12,054 1,133 8.6

Race and Hispanic origin

White ................................................................................................................ 24,188 22,317 1,871 7.7

 Men ................................................................................................................ 13,340 12,361 980 7.3

 Women .......................................................................................................... 10,848 9,956 891 8.2

Black ................................................................................................................. 3,647 3,277 370 10.1

 Men ................................................................................................................ 1,960 1,754 206 10.5

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,688 1,523 164 9.7

Hispanic origin .................................................................................................. 2,853 2,481 372 13.0

 Men ................................................................................................................ 1,909 1,691 217 11.4

 Women .......................................................................................................... 944 789 154 16.4

Living arrangement

Living alone ...................................................................................................... 15,619 14,795 824 5.3

Living with others .............................................................................................. 13,768 12,204 1,564 11.4

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. Estimates are based on Census 2000 population controls

and an expanded sample and are not strictly comparable with

estimates for earlier years previously published. See the Technical

Note for additional information. 

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, 2001

(Numbers in thousands)

Poverty status and labor market problems Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate1

 Total, full-time wage and salary workers ..................................................... 109,117 105,630 3,487 3.2

No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings2 ......... 88,769 88,176 593 .7

Unemployment only .......................................................................................... 6,762 6,399 363 5.4

Involuntary part-time employment only ............................................................. 2,658 2,598 60 2.2

Low earnings only ............................................................................................. 7,128 5,601 1,526 21.4

Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment .................................... 1,172 1,079 93 7.9

Unemployment and low earnings ..................................................................... 1,459 959 500 34.3

Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings ........................................ 726 557 169 23.2

Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings ............. 444 261 184 41.3

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 2001 was $260.66 per week.

 NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and older. Estimates are

based on Census 2000 population controls and an expanded

sample and are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier

years previously published. See the Technical Note for additional

information. 

12
13

Revised Data for 2000
Table 1. Persons in the labor force: Poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2000

(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 ................................................................................ 152,417 137,398 123,009

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 1,630 693 547

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 150,787 136,705 122,462

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 121,427 115,317 106,829

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 29,360 21,388 15,633

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 3,581 2,822 2,150

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 25,779 18,566 13,483

At or above poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 143,286 130,916 117,880

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 993 389 291

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 142,294 130,526 117,588

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 116,230 111,285 103,511

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 26,064 19,241 14,077

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 2,715 2,168 1,675

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 23,349 17,073 12,402

Below poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 9,131 6,483 5,130

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 637 303 256

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 8,494 6,179 4,874

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 5,197 4,032 3,318

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 3,297 2,147 1,556

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 866 654 475

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 2,431 1,493 1,081

Rate1

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 6.0 4.7 4.2

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 39.1 43.8 46.7

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 5.6 4.5 4.0

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 4.3 3.5 3.1

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 11.2 10.0 10.0

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 24.2 23.2 22.1

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 9.4 8.0 8.0

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

force.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect Census 2000 population

controls and an expanded sample and are not strictly comparable with

estimates for earlier years. See the Technical Note for additional

information. 

14
Table 2. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 2000

(Numbers in thousands)

Age and sex Total White Black Hispanic

origin

Below poverty level Rate1

Total White Black Hispanic

origin Total White Black Hispanicorigin

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 137,398 114,207 15,638 15,934 6,483 4,636 1,449 1,624 4.7 4.1 9.3 10.2

16 to 19 years ....................................... 5,191 4,420 550 753 466 345 101 93 9.0 7.8 18.4 12.4

20 to 24 years ....................................... 13,011 10,658 1,675 2,365 1,219 906 247 295 9.4 8.5 14.8 12.5

25 to 34 years ....................................... 31,442 25,345 4,062 5,004 1,767 1,240 427 566 5.6 4.9 10.5 11.3

35 to 44 years ....................................... 36,857 30,337 4,414 4,146 1,637 1,153 372 416 4.4 3.8 8.4 10.0

45 to 54 years ....................................... 31,508 26,615 3,255 2,486 836 574 192 182 2.7 2.2 5.9 7.3

55 to 64 years ....................................... 14,891 12,824 1,344 969 461 342 91 57 3.1 2.7 6.8 5.9

65 years and older ................................ 4,497 4,009 340 212 96 76 18 15 2.1 1.9 5.2 7.1

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 73,991 62,631 7,206 9,547 3,023 2,367 447 971 4.1 3.8 6.2 10.2

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,644 2,276 259 460 225 179 35 60 8.5 7.9 13.4 13.0

20 to 24 years ....................................... 6,804 5,691 750 1,475 527 424 74 175 7.7 7.4 9.9 11.9

25 to 34 years ....................................... 17,210 14,233 1,819 3,085 796 627 114 353 4.6 4.4 6.2 11.4

35 to 44 years ....................................... 20,022 16,843 2,051 2,471 756 580 115 244 3.8 3.4 5.6 9.9

45 to 54 years ....................................... 16,616 14,221 1,507 1,360 435 326 72 102 2.6 2.3 4.8 7.5

55 to 64 years ....................................... 8,056 6,991 654 558 233 187 30 27 2.9 2.7 4.6 4.8

65 years and older ................................ 2,638 2,376 167 138 52 44 − 10 2.0 1.8 − 7.2

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 63,407 51,575 8,433 6,387 3,459 2,269 1,002 653 5.5 4.4 11.9 10.2

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,547 2,144 291 293 241 165 67 33 9.5 7.7 23.0 11.4

20 to 24 years ....................................... 6,207 4,966 925 889 692 482 173 120 11.2 9.7 18.7 13.5

25 to 34 years ....................................... 14,233 11,112 2,243 1,919 972 612 313 213 6.8 5.5 14.0 11.1

35 to 44 years ....................................... 16,835 13,494 2,363 1,675 881 573 257 172 5.2 4.2 10.9 10.3

45 to 54 years ....................................... 14,892 12,394 1,748 1,126 401 248 120 79 2.7 2.0 6.9 7.0

55 to 64 years ....................................... 6,835 5,832 690 412 228 156 61 30 3.3 2.7 8.8 7.3

65 years and older ................................ 1,859 1,633 173 74 45 33 10 5 2.4 2.0 6.0 7.0

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 have

been revised to reflect Census 2000 population controls and an expanded

sample and are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years. 

See the Technical Note for additional information. Dash represents zero

or rounds to zero. 

15
Table 3. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by educational attainment, race, and sex, 2000

(Numbers in thousands)

Educational attainment and race Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older ............................ 137,398 73,991 63,407 6,483 3,023 3,459 4.7 4.1 5.5

Less than a high school diploma .................... 16,739 10,291 6,448 2,214 1,206 1,008 13.2 11.7 15.6

 Less than 1 year of high school .................... 4,929 3,337 1,592 733 497 237 14.9 14.9 14.9

 1-3 years of high school ............................... 10,076 5,887 4,188 1,284 619 665 12.7 10.5 15.9

 4 years of high school, no diploma ............... 1,734 1,066 668 197 90 106 11.4 8.5 15.9

High school graduates, no college ................. 42,745 23,173 19,572 2,274 966 1,308 5.3 4.2 6.7

Some college, no degree ................................ 27,425 13,826 13,598 1,164 484 680 4.2 3.5 5.0

Associate degree ............................................ 12,232 5,833 6,399 319 115 204 2.6 2.0 3.2

College graduates .......................................... 38,256 20,867 17,390 511 253 258 1.3 1.2 1.5

 White, 16 years and older ......................... 114,207 62,631 51,575 4,636 2,367 2,269 4.1 3.8 4.4

Less than a high school diploma .................... 13,693 8,705 4,988 1,631 996 634 11.9 11.4 12.7

 Less than 1 year of high school .................... 4,328 2,997 1,331 651 455 196 15.0 15.2 14.7

 1-3 years of high school ............................... 8,088 4,880 3,208 864 477 387 10.7 9.8 12.0

 4 years of high school, no diploma ............... 1,277 828 449 116 64 52 9.1 7.7 11.6

High school graduates, no college ................. 35,408 19,501 15,907 1,520 713 807 4.3 3.7 5.1

Some college, no degree ................................ 22,535 11,589 10,947 852 372 479 3.8 3.2 4.4

Associate degree ............................................ 10,241 5,016 5,224 240 95 145 2.3 1.9 2.8

College graduates .......................................... 32,330 17,821 14,509 393 190 204 1.2 1.1 1.4

 Black, 16 years and older ......................... 15,638 7,206 8,433 1,449 447 1,002 9.3 6.2 11.9

Less than a high school diploma .................... 2,266 1,163 1,103 475 153 322 21.0 13.2 29.2

 Less than 1 year of high school .................... 321 202 119 50 27 24 15.7 13.4 19.8

 1-3 years of high school ............................... 1,565 774 791 349 102 246 22.3 13.2 31.1

 4 years of high school, no diploma ............... 380 188 193 76 24 52 20.0 12.7 27.1

High school graduates, no college ................. 5,642 2,773 2,869 630 193 437 11.2 7.0 15.2

Some college, no degree ................................ 3,634 1,561 2,073 239 71 168 6.6 4.5 8.1

Associate degree ............................................ 1,373 532 841 55 10 45 4.0 2.0 5.3

College graduates .......................................... 2,724 1,176 1,547 50 19 31 1.8 1.6 2.0

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

force for 27 weeks or more.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect Census 2000 population controls

and an expanded sample and are not strictly comparable with estimates for

earlier years. See the Technical Note for additional information. 

16
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, 2000

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation and race Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older2 .............................................. 136,705 73,580 63,126 6,179 2,847 3,332 4.5 3.9 5.3

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 41,706 21,102 20,604 551 248 303 1.3 1.2 1.5

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 20,693 11,225 9,468 275 134 141 1.3 1.2 1.5

 Professional specialty ....................................................... 21,013 9,877 11,136 276 114 162 1.3 1.2 1.5

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 39,497 14,175 25,322 1,531 394 1,137 3.9 2.8 4.5

 Technicians and related support ...................................... 4,656 2,148 2,508 59 15 44 1.3 .7 1.8

 Sales occupations ............................................................ 15,999 8,075 7,924 862 250 612 5.4 3.1 7.7

 Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 18,842 3,953 14,889 610 129 481 3.2 3.3 3.2

Service occupations ........................................................... 18,022 7,253 10,769 1,898 528 1,371 10.5 7.3 12.7

 Private household ............................................................. 662 30 632 127 12 116 19.3 3 ( ) 18.3

 Protective service ............................................................. 2,402 1,948 454 66 40 26 2.7 2.1 5.6

 Service, except private household and protective ............ 14,958 5,275 9,683 1,705 476 1,229 11.4 9.0 12.7

Precision production, craft, and repair ................................ 15,338 14,010 1,328 523 468 55 3.4 3.3 4.2

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................... 18,829 14,353 4,475 1,212 845 366 6.4 5.9 8.2

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 7,601 4,788 2,813 416 207 208 5.5 4.3 7.4

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............. 5,758 5,139 620 245 207 37 4.2 4.0 6.0

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 5,469 4,426 1,043 551 431 121 10.1 9.7 11.6

Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................................. 3,252 2,632 620 462 362 101 14.2 13.7 16.2

 White, 16 years and older2 ........................................... 113,817 62,385 51,432 4,475 2,254 2,221 3.9 3.6 4.3

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 35,828 18,373 17,455 418 195 223 1.2 1.1 1.3

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 18,019 10,001 8,018 210 111 100 1.2 1.1 1.2

 Professional specialty ....................................................... 17,809 8,372 9,437 207 84 123 1.2 1.0 1.3

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 32,905 12,022 20,883 1,040 307 733 3.2 2.6 3.5

 Technicians and related support ...................................... 3,813 1,797 2,016 42 11 31 1.1 .6 1.5

 Sales occupations ............................................................ 13,740 7,131 6,609 578 203 375 4.2 2.8 5.7

 Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 15,352 3,094 12,258 420 93 327 2.7 3.0 2.7

Service occupations ........................................................... 13,584 5,504 8,080 1,266 382 884 9.3 6.9 10.9

 Private household ............................................................. 518 21 497 96 8 88 18.5 3 ( ) 17.8

 Protective service ............................................................. 1,832 1,522 310 33 23 10 1.8 1.5 3.3

 Service, except private household and protective ............ 11,234 3,961 7,273 1,137 351 785 10.1 8.9 10.8

Precision production, craft, and repair ................................ 13,508 12,468 1,039 448 399 48 3.3 3.2 4.7

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................... 14,930 11,536 3,394 877 640 237 5.9 5.5 7.0

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 5,975 3,906 2,070 294 163 131 4.9 4.2 6.3

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............. 4,617 4,123 494 180 156 24 3.9 3.8 4.8

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 4,337 3,507 830 403 321 82 9.3 9.1 9.9

Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................................. 3,011 2,435 576 428 332 96 14.2 13.6 16.6

 Black, 16 years and older2 ........................................... 15,384 7,068 8,316 1,322 393 929 8.6 5.6 11.2

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 3,277 1,245 2,033 93 28 65 2.8 2.2 3.2

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 1,579 643 936 49 12 37 3.1 1.9 4.0

 Professional specialty ....................................................... 1,699 602 1,097 44 16 28 2.6 2.6 2.5

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 4,473 1,235 3,238 379 45 334 8.5 3.7 10.3

 Technicians and related support ...................................... 499 164 335 −−−−−−

 Sales occupations ............................................................ 1,376 491 885 227 24 202 16.5 5.0 22.8

 Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 2,598 580 2,018 143 21 122 5.5 3.6 6.0

Service occupations ........................................................... 3,358 1,271 2,087 516 99 417 15.4 7.8 20.0

 Private household ............................................................. 102 4 97 24 1 22 23.3 3 ( ) 23.0

 Protective service ............................................................. 485 359 126 20 7 14 4.2 1.8 11.0

 Service, except private household and protective ............ 2,771 907 1,864 472 91 381 17.0 10.1 20.4

Precision production, craft, and repair ................................ 1,176 1,008 168 50 45 6 4.3 4.4 3.3

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................... 2,930 2,161 768 256 153 103 8.7 7.1 13.4

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 1,117 614 502 90 34 56 8.1 5.5 11.1

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............. 924 818 106 45 31 13 4.8 3.8 12.4

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 889 729 160 121 87 34 13.6 12.0 21.3

Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................................. 162 142 20 26 22 4 16.3 15.7 3 ( )

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

force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year. 2 Includes a small number of persons whose last job was in the Armed

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

 NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect Census 2000 population controls

and an expanded sample and are not strictly comparable with estimates for

earlier years. See the Technical Note for additional information. Dash

represents zero or rounds to zero.

17
Table 5. Persons in families and unrelated individuals: Poverty status and work experience, 2000

(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 ................................ 214,292 55,953 56,542 5,336 17,005 12,880 1,750 9,737 4,237 474 4,191 46,186

With labor force activity .................. 152,417 44,816 37,329 2,541 12,457 9,509 748 6,722 3,455 214 2,963 31,663

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 15,019 1,542 3,826 1,500 2,758 889 457 1,013 204 114 312 2,405

 27 weeks or more ......................... 137,398 43,274 33,504 1,041 9,699 8,620 291 5,709 3,252 100 2,650 29,258

With no labor force activity ............. 61,875 11,137 19,213 2,795 4,548 3,371 1,003 3,015 782 260 1,229 14,523

At or above poverty level

 All persons1 ................................ 193,237 53,336 53,906 5,002 16,349 9,603 1,250 8,389 3,757 421 3,890 37,334

With labor force activity .................. 143,286 43,303 36,473 2,461 12,200 7,560 615 6,122 3,169 202 2,840 28,340

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 12,371 1,350 3,556 1,443 2,663 360 361 799 132 107 278 1,320

 27 weeks or more ......................... 130,916 41,953 32,917 1,018 9,537 7,200 254 5,323 3,037 94 2,562 27,020

With no labor force activity ............. 49,951 10,033 17,433 2,540 4,149 2,043 634 2,267 588 220 1,050 8,994

Below poverty level

 All persons1 ................................ 21,055 2,617 2,637 335 656 3,277 501 1,348 480 53 301 8,852

With labor force activity .................. 9,131 1,513 857 80 257 1,949 132 601 286 12 122 3,323

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 2,648 192 270 57 94 529 95 214 71 6 34 1,085

 27 weeks or more ......................... 6,483 1,320 587 23 162 1,420 37 386 215 6 88 2,238

With no labor force activity ............. 11,924 1,104 1,780 255 399 1,328 368 748 194 40 179 5,529

Rate2

 All persons1 ................................ 9.8 4.7 4.7 6.3 3.9 25.4 28.6 13.8 11.3 11.1 7.2 19.2

With labor force activity .................. 6.0 3.4 2.3 3.1 2.1 20.5 17.7 8.9 8.3 5.7 4.1 10.5

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 17.6 12.5 7.1 3.8 3.4 59.5 20.9 21.1 35.0 5.3 10.9 45.1

 27 weeks or more ......................... 4.7 3.1 1.8 2.2 1.7 16.5 12.7 6.8 6.6 6.2 3.3 7.6

With no labor force activity ............. 19.3 9.9 9.3 9.1 8.8 39.4 36.7 24.8 24.8 15.5 14.6 38.1

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 have been revised

to reflect Census 2000 population controls and an expanded sample and are

not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years. See the Technical

Note for additional information.

18
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, 2000

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total families At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate1

 Total primary families ................................................ 61,879 58,387 3,492 5.6

With related children under 18 .......................................... 35,423 32,441 2,982 8.4

Without children ................................................................ 26,456 25,946 510 1.9

With one member in the labor force .................................. 25,261 22,381 2,880 11.4

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 36,618 36,006 612 1.7

 With two members .......................................................... 30,487 29,931 557 1.8

 With three or more members .......................................... 6,131 6,076 56 .9

Married-couple families:

With related children under 18 ...................................... 26,314 25,036 1,278 4.9

Without children ............................................................ 21,427 21,120 307 1.4

With one member in the labor force .............................. 15,560 14,419 1,141 7.3

 Husband ...................................................................... 11,771 10,879 892 7.6

 Wife ............................................................................. 3,148 2,940 208 6.6

 Relative ....................................................................... 641 600 41 6.3

With two or more members in the labor force ............... 32,181 31,737 444 1.4

 With two members ...................................................... 26,994 26,589 405 1.5

 With three or more members ...................................... 5,187 5,148 39 .8

Families maintained by women:

With related children under 18 ...................................... 7,079 5,573 1,505 21.3

Without children ............................................................ 3,294 3,153 141 4.3

With one member in the labor force .............................. 7,408 5,900 1,508 20.4

 Householder ................................................................ 5,996 4,686 1,310 21.8

 Relative ....................................................................... 1,411 1,214 197 14.0

With two or more members in the labor force ............... 2,965 2,826 138 4.7

Families maintained by men:

With related children under 18 ...................................... 2,031 1,832 199 9.8

Without children ............................................................ 1,735 1,673 62 3.5

With one member in the labor force .............................. 2,293 2,062 231 10.1

 Householder ................................................................ 1,910 1,724 186 9.8

 Relative ....................................................................... 383 338 45 11.7

With two or more members in the labor force ............... 1,473 1,443 30 2.0

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 have been revised

to reflect Census 2000 population controls and an expanded

sample and are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier

years. See the Technical Note for additional information.

19
Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, Hispanic

origin, and living arrangement, 2000

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate1

Age and sex

 Total unrelated individuals ....................................................................... 29,258 27,020 2,238 7.6

16 to 19 years ................................................................................................... 568 360 209 36.7

20 to 24 years ................................................................................................... 4,098 3,429 669 16.3

25 to 64 years ................................................................................................... 23,391 22,072 1,319 5.6

65 years and older ............................................................................................ 1,201 1,160 41 3.4

Men ................................................................................................................... 16,177 15,100 1,077 6.7

Women ............................................................................................................. 13,081 11,920 1,161 8.9

Race and Hispanic origin

White ................................................................................................................ 24,080 22,390 1,690 7.0

 Men ................................................................................................................ 13,329 12,523 806 6.0

 Women .......................................................................................................... 10,751 9,867 884 8.2

Black ................................................................................................................. 3,785 3,367 418 11.0

 Men ................................................................................................................ 2,002 1,797 205 10.2

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,782 1,569 213 12.0

Hispanic origin .................................................................................................. 2,867 2,514 353 12.3

 Men ................................................................................................................ 1,917 1,720 197 10.3

 Women .......................................................................................................... 950 794 157 16.5

Living arrangement

Living alone ...................................................................................................... 15,289 14,537 751 4.9

Living with others .............................................................................................. 13,970 12,483 1,486 10.6

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 have been revised to reflect Census 2000 population

controls and an expanded sample and are not strictly comparable

with estimates for earlier years. See the Technical Note for

additional information.

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, 2000

(Numbers in thousands)

Poverty status and labor market problems Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate1

 Total, full-time wage and salary workers ..................................................... 108,409 104,989 3,420 3.2

No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings2 ......... 89,805 89,235 569 .6

Unemployment only .......................................................................................... 5,248 4,928 321 6.1

Involuntary part-time employment only ............................................................. 2,173 2,136 37 1.7

Low earnings only ............................................................................................. 7,952 6,383 1,568 19.7

Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment .................................... 893 833 59 6.6

Unemployment and low earnings ..................................................................... 1,325 791 534 40.3

Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings ........................................ 671 497 175 26.0

Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings ............. 343 185 158 46.0

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 2000 was $253.45 per week.

 NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and older. Data have been

revised to reflect Census 2000 population controls and an expanded

sample and are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier

years. See the Technical Note for additional information. 

20