1

I

n 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 36.5 million 

people, or 12.3 percent of the population, lived at or below the 

offi cial poverty threshold, roughly the same number as in 2005.1

The majority of the Nation’s poor were children and adults who 

had not participated in the labor force during the year. However, 

7.4 million were among the working poor—those who spent 27 

weeks or more in the labor force, working or looking for work, 

but whose incomes still fell below the offi cial poverty level. 

These individuals represented 5.1 percent of all persons aged 16 

years and older who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more 

in 2006, down from 5.4 percent the previous year. (See tables A 

and 1 and chart 1.) 

Following are some additional highlights from the 2006 data: 

 • Of the 145.2 million individuals in the labor force for 27 

weeks or more in 2006, 3.7 percent of those usually employed full 

time were classifi ed as working poor, compared with 11.3 percent 

of part-time workers.

 • Although more than 70 percent of the working poor were 

White workers, Black and Hispanic workers continued to be more 

than twice as likely as their White counterparts to be poor. Asians 

were least likely to be among the working poor in 2006.

 • In general, the risk of being poor falls rapidly as individuals attain higher education levels. In 2006, the percentage of college graduates who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks 

and who were counted among the working poor was 1.4 percent, 

compared with 13.8 percent of those with less than a high school 

diploma.

 • By occupation, the probability of being among the working 

poor was lowest for individuals employed in managerial, professional, and related occupations and highest for those holding service jobs.

 • Married-couple families with children under 18 years old 

were nearly 5 times as likely as families without children to be 

among the working poor.

 This report presents data on the relationship between labor 

force activity and poverty in 2006 for workers and their families. 

The specifi c income thresholds used to determine people’s poverty status vary with whether the individuals are living with family members or are living alone or with nonrelatives. For family 

members, the poverty threshold is determined by their families’ 

total income; for individuals not living in families, their personal 

income is used as the determinant. The data were collected in the 

2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current 

Population Survey. (For a more detailed description of the source 

of the data and an explanation of the concepts and defi nitions used 

in this report, see the Technical Note.) 

Demographic characteristics

Of all persons in the labor force for at least 27 weeks during 2006, 

slightly more women than men were poor (3.9 and 3.6 million, 

respectively). The working-poor rate—the proportion of persons 

in the labor force for at least 27 weeks who lived below the poverty 

level—continued to be much higher for women. Specifi cally, the 

working-poor rate for women was 5.8 percent, compared with 4.5 

percent for men. The rates for both groups were slightly lower in 

2006 than in 2005. (See table 2.)

 Overall, Black and Hispanic workers were disproportionately 

represented among the working poor, as they continued to 

experience working-poor rates that were more than twice that 

of Whites or Asians. Black and Hispanic teenage workers, in 

particular, are more likely than others to be in poverty. Among 

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

2006, 20.7 percent of Blacks and 14.7 percent of Hispanics were 

in poverty, compared with 9.2 percent of Whites. 

 As in past years, in 2006, younger workers were more likely 

to be among the working poor than were their older counterparts, 

due largely to younger workers’ lower average earnings and higher 

rates of unemployment. Among the youths who were in the labor 

force for 27 weeks or more in 2006, 10.5 percent of 16- to 19-

A Profi le of the Working 

Poor, 2006

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

August 2008

Report 1006

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

labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2003–06

[Numbers in thousands]

 Characteristic 2003 2004 2005 2006

Total persons1 ..................... 140,007 140,908 142,824 145,229

 In poverty ....................... 7,429 7,836 7,744 7,427

 Poverty rate ..................... 5.3 5.6 5.4 5.1

Unrelated individuals ......... 29,898 30,694 31,422 31,887

 In poverty .......................... 2,472 2,742 2,846 2,741

 Poverty rate .................... 8.3 8.9 9.1 8.6

Primary families2

 ............... 63,567 63,912 64,360 65,388

 In poverty ........................ 4,167 4,261 4,094 3,960

 Poverty rate ...................... 6.6 6.7 6.4 6.1

1 Includes persons in families, not shown separately. 

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

year. 

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of 

January data.

1

See Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006,

Current Population Reports, series P-60, no. 233 (U.S. Census Bureau, August 

2007).

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

year-olds and 11.1 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds were in poverty. 

These rates were several times greater than the rates for workers 

aged 35 to 44 years (4.8 percent), 45 to 54 years (3.0 percent), and 

55 to 64 years (2.4 percent).

Educational Attainment

Achieving higher levels of education dramatically reduces the 

likelihood of being among the working poor. Individuals who 

complete more years of education have greater access to higher 

paying jobs, such as managerial, professional, and related occupations, than those with lower education. In 2006, the working-poor 

rate for college graduates was 1.4 percent, the lowest by education level. By comparison, individuals with less than a high school 

diploma and those with a high school diploma or the equivalent, 

but no college, had working-poor rates of 13.8 percent and 6.3 

percent, respectively. The proportions of Blacks and Hispanics 

classifi ed as working poor were higher than those of their White 

counterparts at all levels of educational attainment. (See table 3.) 

 Among Whites, 13.6 percent of women with less than a high 

school diploma who were in the labor force 27 weeks or more 

were among the working poor, compared with 12.1 percent of 

their male counterparts. By comparison, working-poor rates for 

White female and male college graduates were 1.5 percent and 1.3 

percent, respectively. Among Black men and women, the disparity in working-poor rates was greater, especially at lower levels of 

education. For instance, the rate for Black women workers with 

less than a high school diploma was 28.9 percent, compared with 

15.4 percent for Black men. Among high school graduates (no 

college), the working-poor rate of Black women (15.3 percent) 

was higher than that for Black men—9.0 percent. Among both 

White and Black college graduates, differences in the workingpoor rates of men and women essentially disappear. 

Occupation

The likelihood of being among the working poor varies widely by 

occupation. Individuals in occupations that require higher levels 

of education and offer higher earnings had a lower probability 

of being poor. Managerial, professional, and related occupations 

had the lowest working-poor rate (1.8 percent). The proportion 

of workers classifi ed as working poor was highest (10.3 percent) 

for those employed in service occupations, whose working-poor 

rate was twice the average for all persons in the labor force 27 or 

more weeks in 2006. Individuals employed in natural resources, 

construction, and maintenance occupations also had a relatively 

high probability of being among the working poor; the proportion 

living in poverty was 6.9 percent. (See table 4.) 

Families

In 2006, 4.0 million families were living below the poverty level, 

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

half of the year or more. The number was little changed from 

2005. These families accounted for 6.1 percent of all families 

with workers in 2006, down from 6.4 percent in 2005. Among 

families with one member in the labor force for at least 27 weeks 

in 2006, married-couple families, regardless of whether the husband or wife was the family member in the labor force, were 

those least likely to fall below the poverty level (7.5 percent). By 

comparison, 12.0 percent of families maintained by men and 22.4 

percent of families maintained by women were below the poverty 

level. (See table 5.)

 The working-poor rate was higher for families with children (9.4 

percent) than families without children (1.8 percent). Families 

maintained by women with children younger than 18 years had 

a working-poor rate of 23.2 percent, while the working-poor rate 

for families maintained by men with children, although about half 

Chart 1. Poverty rate of persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1987–2006

Percent

1987

 7

 6

 5

 4

1988 1989 1990 1991 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 1992 1993 1994 2004 2005 2006

7

 Percent

 6

 5

4
3

the women’s rate, also was still high (11.8 percent). Marriedcouple families with children had a much lower working-poor 

rate of 5.2 percent. (See table 5.)

Unrelated individuals

In 2006, there were 31.9 million unrelated individuals in the 

labor force for at least half the year, and 2.7 million lived below 

the poverty level. The “unrelated individuals” category includes 

persons who live by themselves or with others not related to them. 

Their working-poor rate was 8.6 percent in 2006, compared with 

9.1 percent in 2005. (See table 6.)

 Of the 2.7 million unrelated individuals who lived below the 

poverty level, nearly two-thirds lived with others. Persons living with unrelated individuals had a working-poor rate of 12.1 

percent, in contrast to 5.6 percent for individuals living alone. 

(See Table 7.) Many unrelated individuals with low incomes may 

live with others out of necessity. Conversely, many of those who

live alone do so because they have suffi cient incomes to 

support themselves. However, poverty status for unrelated individuals is determined using each person’s resources. The pooling of resources and sharing of expenses may permit some individuals in this category 

who are technically classifi ed as poor to live above the poverty 

level. 

 The number of men and women living alone or with unrelated 

individuals was roughly equal; however, the working-poor rate 

for such women (9.4 percent) was higher than the rate for men 

(7.9 percent). The number of White unrelated individuals living in 

poverty was much larger than the number of Blacks or the number 

of Hispanics; yet, the working-poor rates for the latter two groups 

were 10.9 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively, compared with 

only 8.2 percent of Whites.

Labor market problems

Individuals in the labor force whose income falls below the 

poverty threshold have often experienced unemployment, 

low earnings, or involuntary part-time employment. (See the 

Technical Note for detailed defi nitions of these terms.) 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, 

4.0 million, or 3.5 percent, were classifi ed as working poor in 

2006—a proportion that was unchanged from the previous year. 

(See table 8.)

 In 2006, 83.6 percent of the working poor who usually worked 

full time experienced at least one labor market problem. Low 

earnings continued to be the most common problem for these 

workers, with 7 in every 10 reporting low earnings, either 

alone or in combination with other labor market problems. 

Unemployment, either alone or combined with other labor market 

problems, was experienced by more than a quarter of the working 

poor. About 4.5 percent of the working poor experienced all 

three problems—low earnings, unemployment, and involuntary 

part-time work—in 2006.

 Some 652,000 of the working poor did not experience any 

of the three main labor market problems in 2006. Their poverty 

status may be associated with other factors, including short-term 

employment, some weeks of voluntary part-time work, or a family 

structure that increases the likelihood of poverty. 

.
4

Source of data

The primary source of data in this report is the 2007 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 U.S. 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, making 

up a total of 78,000 households. Work experience and income 

data collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement 

refer to activity during the entire previous calendar year.

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

consequently, may differ from fi gures 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 

defi nitions than those provided in this technical note, see Income,

Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States:

2006, Current Population Reports, series P-60, no. 233 (U.S. 

Census Bureau, August 2007), also available on the U.S. Census 

Bureau Web site at www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/p60-233.pdf.

 Information in this report will be made available to sensoryimpaired 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 U.S. 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 2006 estimates presented in this report, which were collected 

in the 2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the 

CPS, are not strictly comparable with data for 2005 and earlier 

years, because of the introduction in January 2007 of revised 

population controls used in the CPS. For additional information, 

see “Adjustments to Household Survey Population Estimates in 

January 2007,” in the February 2007 issue of Employment and 

Earnings, on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cps/cps07adj.pdf.

Concepts and defi nitions

Poverty classifi cation. Poverty statistics presented in this report 

are based on defi nitions developed by the Social Security 

Administration in 1964 and revised by Federal interagency 

committees in 1969 and 1981. These defi nitions originally were 

based on from the Department of Agriculture’s Economy Food 

Plan and refl ected 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 2006, the average poverty threshold 

for a family of four was $20,614; for a family of nine or more 

persons, the threshold was $41,499; and for an unrelated 

individual aged 65 and older, it was $9,669. Poverty thresholds 

are updated each year to refl ect changes in the Consumer Price 

Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). The thresholds do not 

vary geographically. (For more information, see Income, Poverty, 

and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006,

previously cited.)

Low earnings. The low-earnings level, as fi rst 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 fi rst 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 with reference to 

the CPI-U, so that the measure maintains the same real value that 

it held in 1987. In 2006, the low-earnings threshold was $296.72 

per week. (For a more complete defi nition, see Bruce W. Klein 

and Philip L. Rones, “A profi le of the working poor,” Monthly

Labor Review, October 1989, pp. 3–13.)

Income. Income data are limited to money income received in the 

calendar year preceding the supplement, before personal income 

tax and payroll deductions. Data on income do not include 

the value of noncash benefi ts such as food stamps, Medicare, 

Medicaid, public housing, and employer-provided benefi ts. (For 

a complete defi nition of income, see Income, Poverty, and Health 

Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006, previously cited.) 

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

or looked for work sometime during the calendar year preceding 

the administration of the CPS 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 or more weeks.

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 fi nd fulltime 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 

Technical Note
5

job and expecting to be recalled to that job. The number of weeks 

unemployed is accumulated over the entire year.

Family. A family is defi ned 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 families. A primary family includes the reference 

person (householder) and all people living in the household who 

are related to the reference person. Families are classifi ed 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 an 

unrelated family household, or live in group quarters with other 

unrelated individuals.

Related children. Data on related children refer to the children 

(including sons, daughters, and step- or adopted children) of 

the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family and all 

other children related to the householder by birth, marriage, or 

adoption.

Race. White, Black or African-American, and Asian are the 

categories used to describe the race of people. People in these 

categories are those who selected that race group only. Data 

for the remaining race categories—American Indian or Alaska 

Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacifi c Islander—and for 

people who selected more than one race category are included in 

totals, but are not shown separately because the number of survey 

respondents is too small to develop estimates of suffi cient quality 

for publication. In the enumeration process, race is determined by 

the household respondent.

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. The ethnicity of persons who 

identifi ed themselves in the CPS enumeration process as being 

Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. People whose ethnicity is identifi ed 

as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
6

Table 1. People in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2006

[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 ................................................................................ 158,563 145,229 131,687

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 1,905 844 693

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 156,658 144,385 130,995

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 126,677 121,580 113,682

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 29,981 22,805 17,313

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 4,693 3,859 3,058

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 25,287 18,946 14,255

At or above poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 148,685 137,802 125,573

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 1,212 490 390

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 147,473 137,312 125,184

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 121,199 117,092 109,813

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 26,274 20,220 15,371

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 3,550 2,925 2,305

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 22,724 17,294 13,066

Below poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 9,878 7,427 6,114

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 693 354 303

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 9,185 7,073 5,811

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 5,477 4,488 3,869

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 3,707 2,586 1,942

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 1,144 934 753

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 2,564 1,652 1,189

Rate1

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 6.2 5.1 4.6

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 36.4 41.9 43.7

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 5.9 4.9 4.4

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 4.3 3.7 3.4

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 12.4 11.3 11.2

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 24.4 24.2 24.6

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 10.1 8.7 8.3

1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force.
7

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

ethnicity, 2006

[Numbers in thousands]

Age and sex Total White

Black or

AfricanAmerican

Asian

Hispanic

or Latino

ethnicity

Below poverty level

Total White

Black or

AfricanAmericanAsian

Hispanic

or Latino

ethnicity

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 145,229 118,915 16,437 6,624 19,985 7,427 5,295 1,601 251 1,956

16 to 19 years ....................................... 4,128 3,461 440 65 620 432 320 91 4 91

20 to 24 years ....................................... 13,299 10,743 1,706 436 2,420 1,480 1,079 306 39 266

25 to 34 years ....................................... 31,831 25,212 4,012 1,704 6,259 2,196 1,515 527 72 689

35 to 44 years ....................................... 34,617 27,815 4,184 1,859 5,267 1,674 1,212 333 59 546

45 to 54 years ....................................... 34,977 28,926 3,866 1,536 3,528 1,050 710 243 59 241

55 to 64 years ....................................... 20,618 17,658 1,812 843 1,496 498 388 81 14 102

65 years and older ................................ 5,759 5,100 417 182 396 96 71 22 3 21

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 78,457 65,533 7,648 3,552 12,177 3,564 2,726 547 147 1,187

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,054 1,701 229 38 360 201 129 55 4 51

20 to 24 years ....................................... 7,185 5,926 822 214 1,498 668 520 98 17 167

25 to 34 years ....................................... 17,740 14,397 1,921 930 4,021 1,064 829 147 49 441

35 to 44 years ....................................... 18,951 15,618 1,911 1,019 3,191 821 657 99 30 325

45 to 54 years ....................................... 18,433 15,513 1,778 811 1,999 528 358 111 37 130

55 to 64 years ....................................... 10,894 9,507 789 441 873 231 197 23 5 57

65 years and older ................................ 3,200 2,870 197 100 235 52 36 13 3 15

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 66,772 53,382 8,790 3,072 7,808 3,863 2,569 1,054 104 769

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,074 1,760 211 27 261 232 190 36 – 40

20 to 24 years ....................................... 6,114 4,816 884 222 922 812 559 208 22 99

25 to 34 years ....................................... 14,090 10,816 2,090 774 2,238 1,132 687 379 23 247

35 to 44 years ....................................... 15,666 12,197 2,273 840 2,075 854 555 233 29 221

45 to 54 years ....................................... 16,544 13,413 2,088 725 1,529 522 352 132 21 111

55 to 64 years ....................................... 9,724 8,151 1,023 403 623 268 191 57 9 44

65 years and older ................................ 2,558 2,230 220 82 161 44 35 8 – 6

Age and sex

Rate1

Total White

Black or

AfricanAmericanAsian

Hispanic or

Latino

ethnicity

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 5.1 4.5 9.7 3.8 9.8

16 to 19 years ....................................... 10.5 9.2 20.7 2 ( ) 14.7

20 to 24 years ....................................... 11.1 10.0 17.9 8.9 11.0

25 to 34 years ....................................... 6.9 6.0 13.1 4.2 11.0

35 to 44 years ....................................... 4.8 4.4 8.0 3.2 10.4

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.0 2.5 6.3 3.8 6.8

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.4 2.2 4.4 1.7 6.8

65 years and older ................................ 1.7 1.4 5.2 1.9 5.3

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 4.5 4.2 7.2 4.1 9.7

16 to 19 years ....................................... 9.8 7.6 24.0 2 ( ) 14.1

20 to 24 years ....................................... 9.3 8.8 11.9 8.0 11.2

25 to 34 years ....................................... 6.0 5.8 7.7 5.3 11.0

35 to 44 years ....................................... 4.3 4.2 5.2 3.0 10.2

45 to 54 years ....................................... 2.9 2.3 6.3 4.6 6.5

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.1 2.1 3.0 1.2 6.6

65 years and older ................................ 1.6 1.3 6.7 3.0 6.3

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 5.8 4.8 12.0 3.4 9.8

16 to 19 years ....................................... 11.2 10.8 17.0 2 ( ) 15.5

20 to 24 years ....................................... 13.3 11.6 23.5 9.7 10.7

25 to 34 years ....................................... 8.0 6.3 18.1 2.9 11.0

35 to 44 years ....................................... 5.4 4.6 10.3 3.5 10.6

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.2 2.6 6.3 2.9 7.3

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.8 2.3 5.6 2.3 7.1

65 years and older ................................ 1.7 1.6 3.8 0.5 3.8

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

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

 NOTE: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or AfricanAmerican, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not

presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash represents or rounds to

zero.
8

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

ethnicity, and sex, 2006

[Numbers in thousands]

Educational attainment, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older ......................... 145,229 78,457 66,772 7,427 3,564 3,863 5.1 4.5 5.8

Less than a high school diploma ................ 16,229 10,358 5,870 2,241 1,309 932 13.8 12.6 15.9

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 5,028 3,429 1,599 764 515 248 15.2 15.0 15.5

 1-3 years of high school......................... 9,167 5,691 3,476 1,238 672 565 13.5 11.8 16.3

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 2,034 1,239 795 239 121 118 11.8 9.8 14.8

High school graduates, no college2 ........... 43,273 24,361 18,911 2,718 1,238 1,479 6.3 5.1 7.8

Some college or associate degree ............. 41,261 20,315 20,946 1,827 705 1,122 4.4 3.5 5.4

 Some college, no degree ......................... 27,667 13,993 13,674 1,381 521 860 5.0 3.7 6.3

 Associate degree ..................................... 13,594 6,322 7,272 446 184 262 3.3 2.9 3.6

Bachelor’s degree and higher3 .................. 44,466 23,422 21,044 642 312 330 1.4 1.3 1.6

 White, 16 years and older ........................ 118,915 65,533 53,382 5,295 2,726 2,569 4.5 4.2 4.8

Less than a high school diploma ................ 13,225 8,742 4,482 1,672 1,061 611 12.6 12.1 13.6

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 4,331 3,051 1,280 661 463 198 15.3 15.2 15.4

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 7,354 4,726 2,628 859 517 342 11.7 10.9 13.0

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 1,540 966 575 152 80 72 9.9 8.3 12.5

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 35,165 20,169 14,996 1,841 879 961 5.2 4.4 6.4

Some college or associate degree ............. 33,698 16,973 16,724 1,276 537 740 3.8 3.2 4.4

 Some college, no degree ......................... 22,482 11,643 10,839 982 408 574 4.4 3.5 5.3

 Associate degree ..................................... 11,216 5,330 5,886 295 129 166 2.6 2.4 2.8

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 36,828 19,648 17,179 506 249 256 1.4 1.3 1.5

 Black or African-American, 16 years and

older ..................................................... 16,437 7,648 8,790 1,601 547 1,054 9.7 7.2 12.0

Less than a high school diploma ................ 1,933 1,014 919 421 156 265 21.8 15.4 28.9

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 275 151 123 51 23 27 18.4 15.2 22.3

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 1,315 672 643 299 100 199 22.7 14.9 30.9

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 343 190 153 72 33 39 21.0 17.1 25.7

High school graduates, no college2 ........... 5,863 2,940 2,923 711 264 446 12.1 9.0 15.3

Some college or associate degree ............. 5,222 2,184 3,038 399 95 305 7.6 4.3 10.0

 Some college, no degree ......................... 3,634 1,542 2,092 295 63 232 8.1 4.1 11.1

 Associate degree ..................................... 1,587 642 946 105 32 73 6.6 5.0 7.7

Bachelor’s degree and higher3 .................. 3,420 1,510 1,910 70 32 38 2.0 2.1 2.0

 Asian, 16 years and older ........................ 6,624 3,552 3,072 251 147 104 3.8 4.1 3.4

Less than a high school diploma ................ 563 283 281 57 33 24 10.1 11.7 8.4

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 267 124 143 25 12 13 9.4 9.8 9.0

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 204 112 92 25 17 8 12.3 14.8 9.1

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 93 46 46 7 4 2 7.3 4 ( ) 4 ( )

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 1,229 674 555 76 46 30 6.2 6.8 5.5

Some college or associate degree ............. 1,201 598 603 62 39 23 5.1 6.5 3.8

 Some college, no degree ......................... 744 403 342 43 26 17 5.8 6.5 5.1

 Associate degree ..................................... 457 196 261 18 13 5 4.0 6.6 2.1

Bachelor’s degree and higher3 .................. 3,631 1,997 1,633 56 29 27 1.5 1.4 1.7

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and

older ...................................................... 19,985 12,177 7,808 1,956 1,187 769 9.8 9.7 9.8

Less than a high school diploma ................ 6,795 4,783 2,012 1,123 761 361 16.5 15.9 18.0

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 3,473 2,508 965 587 419 168 16.9 16.7 17.4

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 2,739 1,883 856 451 288 163 16.5 15.3 19.1

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 582 392 190 84 54 30 14.5 13.9 15.8

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 6,087 3,701 2,386 548 298 251 9.0 8.0 10.5

Some college or associate degree ............. 4,498 2,343 2,155 222 96 126 4.9 4.1 5.8

 Some college, no degree ......................... 3,170 1,735 1,435 174 77 97 5.5 4.4 6.8

 Associate degree ..................................... 1,328 608 720 48 19 29 3.6 3.2 4.0

Bachelor’s degree and higher3 .................. 2,605 1,350 1,255 63 32 31 2.4 2.4 2.5

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

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

doctoral degrees.

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

 NOTE: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or AfricanAmerican, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented

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

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

held, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2006

(Numbers in thousands)

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

Below poverty level Rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older2 .......................................... 144,385 77,981 66,404 7,060 3,385 3,675 4.9 4.3 5.5

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 50,684 25,063 25,621 867 352 514 1.7 1.4 2.0

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 21,388 12,108 9,281 323 158 165 1.5 1.3 1.8

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 29,296 12,955 16,340 544 194 350 1.9 1.5 2.1

 Service occupations ...................................................... 23,202 9,931 13,272 2,406 820 1,586 10.4 8.3 12.0

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 35,786 13,388 22,398 1,606 486 1,120 4.5 3.6 5.0

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 16,519 8,629 7,890 1,000 314 686 6.1 3.6 8.7

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 19,268 4,759 14,508 606 172 434 3.1 3.6 3.0

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 16,111 15,445 666 1,111 1,033 78 6.9 6.7 11.7

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 995 781 215 167 128 39 16.8 16.4 18.2

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 9,987 9,737 251 794 763 30 7.9 7.8 12.2

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 5,129 4,928 201 150 141 9 2.9 2.9 4.3

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 18,498 14,071 4,427 1,064 690 374 5.8 4.9 8.4

 Production occupations ............................................... 9,793 6,771 3,021 488 261 227 5.0 3.9 7.5

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 8,705 7,300 1,406 576 429 147 6.6 5.9 10.4

 White, 16 years and older2 ......................................... 118,387 65,226 53,161 5,117 2,634 2,483 4.3 4.0 4.7

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 42,398 21,348 21,050 650 283 367 1.5 1.3 1.7

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 18,437 10,698 7,739 255 124 132 1.4 1.2 1.7

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 23,961 10,651 13,311 395 159 235 1.6 1.5 1.8

 Service occupations ...................................................... 17,573 7,650 9,923 1,618 567 1,051 9.2 7.4 10.6

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 29,369 11,083 18,286 1,128 365 762 3.8 3.3 4.2

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 13,890 7,457 6,433 695 245 450 5.0 3.3 7.0

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 15,479 3,626 11,853 432 120 312 2.8 3.3 2.6

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 14,182 13,633 549 976 908 68 6.9 6.7 12.3

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 889 709 180 152 116 36 17.1 16.4 20.0

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 8,865 8,655 210 689 665 24 7.8 7.7 11.5

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 4,428 4,269 159 135 128 8 3.1 3.0 4.7

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 14,793 11,458 3,335 740 508 232 5.0 4.4 7.0

 Production occupations ............................................... 8,014 5,735 2,279 365 216 149 4.6 3.8 6.5

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 6,779 5,723 1,055 375 292 83 5.5 5.1 7.9

 Black or African American, 16 years and older2 ......... 16,167 7,501 8,666 1,439 474 966 8.9 6.3 11.1

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 4,290 1,597 2,693 155 38 117 3.6 2.4 4.3

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,584 671 913 42 16 26 2.7 2.4 2.9

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 2,706 926 1,780 113 23 91 4.2 2.4 5.1

 Service occupations ...................................................... 3,857 1,502 2,355 586 155 431 15.2 10.3 18.3

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 4,161 1,366 2,796 363 72 291 8.7 5.3 10.4

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 1,576 630 946 233 41 192 14.8 6.6 20.3

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 2,585 736 1,850 130 31 99 5.0 4.2 5.4

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 1,185 1,117 67 87 81 6 7.3 7.2 3 ( )

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 50 32 18 6 6 – 3 ( ) 3 ( ) 3 ( )

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 724 702 21 73 68 5 10.1 9.7 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 411 383 28 8 7 1 2.0 1.8 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 2,647 1,893 754 248 127 121 9.4 6.7 16.0

 Production occupations ............................................... 1,163 686 477 90 28 62 7.7 4.1 13.0

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 1,483 1,207 276 158 99 59 10.6 8.2 21.3

See footnotes at end of table.

9

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

held, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2006 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

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

Below poverty level Rate1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Asian, 16 years and older2 ......................................... 6,610 3,547 3,063 238 139 98 3.6 3.9 3.2

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 3,138 1,733 1,405 31 18 13 1.0 1.0 .9

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,019 557 462 14 9 5 1.4 1.7 1.1

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 2,119 1,175 943 17 9 8 .8 .7 .9

 Service occupations ...................................................... 1,101 493 608 102 58 44 9.3 11.8 7.3

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 1,468 662 806 52 27 25 3.5 4.1 3.1

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 741 410 331 38 19 19 5.1 4.5 5.8

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 727 252 475 14 9 6 2.0 3.5 1.2

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 300 271 30 9 6 2 2.9 2.3 3 ( )

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 24 13 11 5 3 2 3 ( ) 3 ( ) 3 ( )

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 116 105 11 1 1 – .5 .5 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 160 152 8 3 3 – 1.8 1.9 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 602 388 214 44 30 14 7.3 7.6 6.6

 Production occupations ............................................... 397 214 182 18 7 11 4.7 3.3 6.2

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 206 174 32 25 22 3 12.3 12.9 3 ( )

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older2 ....... 19,893 12,141 7,752 1,914 1,172 742 9.6 9.7 9.6

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 3,445 1,602 1,843 90 27 63 2.6 1.7 3.4

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,535 824 712 40 19 22 2.6 2.3 3.0

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 1,909 778 1,131 50 8 42 2.6 1.1 3.7

 Service occupations ...................................................... 4,560 2,206 2,353 623 294 329 13.7 13.3 14.0

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 4,028 1,595 2,433 307 104 203 7.6 6.5 8.3

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 1,823 914 909 181 68 112 9.9 7.5 12.4

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 2,205 681 1,524 126 36 90 5.7 5.2 5.9

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 4,173 4,012 160 559 522 37 13.4 13.0 22.8

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 386 303 83 97 75 23 25.2 24.6 27.3

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 3,055 3,004 51 412 402 10 13.5 13.4 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 731 705 26 50 46 4 6.8 6.5 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 3,677 2,717 960 336 225 111 9.1 8.3 11.6

 Production occupations ............................................... 2,034 1,348 686 178 106 72 8.8 7.9 10.5

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 1,643 1,369 274 158 119 39 9.6 8.7 14.3

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 the long-term unemployed with no previous work experience

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

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

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

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

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

 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

10
11

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

members in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2006

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic Total families At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate1

 Total primary families ................................................ 65,388 61,429 3,960 6.1

With related children under 18 years ................................ 36,459 33,033 3,426 9.4

Without children ................................................................ 28,929 28,396 533 1.8

With one member in the labor force .................................. 27,559 24,156 3,403 12.3

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 37,829 37,273 557 1.5

 With two members ......................................................... 31,948 31,428 520 1.6

 With three or more members ......................................... 5,881 5,845 36 .6

 Married-couple families ............................................. 49,703 48,058 1,645 3.3

With related children under 18 years ................................ 26,502 25,120 1,382 5.2

Without children ................................................................ 23,200 22,937 263 1.1

With one member in the labor force .................................. 16,764 15,500 1,264 7.5

 Husband ......................................................................... 12,436 11,415 1,022 8.2

 Wife ................................................................................ 3,710 3,499 211 5.7

 Relative .......................................................................... 618 586 31 5.1

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 32,938 32,557 381 1.2

 With two members ......................................................... 28,007 27,644 362 1.3

 With three or more members ......................................... 4,932 4,913 19 .4

 Families maintained by women ................................. 11,273 9,333 1,940 17.2

With related children under 18 years ................................ 7,655 5,883 1,772 23.2

Without children ................................................................ 3,618 3,450 168 4.6

With one member in the labor force .................................. 8,107 6,292 1,815 22.4

 Householder ................................................................... 6,675 5,109 1,565 23.5

 Relative .......................................................................... 1,432 1,182 250 17.5

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 3,166 3,041 125 3.9

 Families maintained by men ..................................... 4,412 4,038 374 8.5

With related children under 18 years ................................ 2,302 2,030 272 11.8

Without children ................................................................ 2,111 2,008 102 4.8

With one member in the labor force .................................. 2,687 2,364 324 12.0

 Householder ................................................................... 2,230 1,978 252 11.3

 Relative .......................................................................... 457 386 71 15.6

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 1,725 1,674 51 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.
12

Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and work experience, 2006

[Numbers in thousands]

Poverty status and work experience Total

persons

In married-couple families In families maintained by

women

In families maintained by

men Unrelated

individuals Husbands Wives

Related

children

under

18

Other

relatives

Householder

Related

children

under

18

Other

relatives

Householder

Related

children

under

18

Other

relatives

TOTAL

 All people1 .................................. 231,033 58,408 58,927 5,906 18,452 14,405 2,235 11,352 5,031 518 5,287 50,511

With labor force activity .................. 158,563 46,025 38,056 2,107 12,382 10,253 587 7,325 3,974 147 3,508 34,199

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 13,334 1,359 3,075 1,308 2,608 778 341 950 193 86 325 2,312

 27 weeks or more ......................... 145,229 44,666 34,981 800 9,774 9,476 246 6,375 3,782 61 3,182 31,887

With no labor force activity ............. 72,470 12,383 20,872 3,799 6,070 4,151 1,648 4,027 1,057 371 1,779 16,312

At or above poverty level

 All people1 .................................. 206,167 55,535 56,013 5,584 17,700 10,321 1,551 9,585 4,353 449 4,765 40,311

With labor force activity .................. 148,685 44,519 37,286 2,047 12,134 8,110 468 6,744 3,620 142 3,292 30,324

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 10,883 1,234 2,842 1,258 2,503 311 266 796 137 83 276 1,177

 27 weeks or more ......................... 137,802 43,285 34,444 789 9,631 7,799 202 5,948 3,483 59 3,015 29,146

With no labor force activity ............. 57,482 11,016 18,727 3,536 5,565 2,211 1,083 2,841 733 307 1,474 9,987

Below poverty level

 All people1 .................................. 24,866 2,873 2,914 323 752 4,083 684 1,767 678 70 522 10,200

With labor force activity .................. 9,878 1,506 770 60 247 2,143 119 582 354 5 216 3,875

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 2,451 125 233 49 105 467 76 154 56 3 49 1,134

 27 weeks or more ......................... 7,427 1,380 537 11 142 1,677 43 428 299 2 167 2,741

With no labor force activity ............. 14,988 1,367 2,144 262 505 1,940 565 1,186 323 64 306 6,325

Rate2

 All people1 .................................. 10.8 4.9 4.9 5.5 4.1 28.3 30.6 15.6 13.5 13.4 9.9 20.2

With labor force activity .................. 6.2 3.3 2.0 2.9 2.0 20.9 20.3 7.9 8.9 3.7 6.2 11.3

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 18.4 9.2 7.6 3.8 4.0 60.0 22.2 16.2 28.9 3.9 15.1 49.1

 27 weeks or more ......................... 5.1 3.1 1.5 1.4 1.5 17.7 17.6 6.7 7.9 3 ( ) 5.3 8.6

With no labor force activity ............. 20.7 11.0 10.3 6.9 8.3 46.7 34.3 29.4 30.6 17.3 17.2 38.8

1 Data on families include people in primary families and family households

with unrelated individuals. 

2 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total. 3 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.
13

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

Latino ethnicity, and living arrangement, 2006

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate1

Age and sex

Total unrelated individuals ............................................................................ 31,887 29,146 2,741 8.6

16 to 19 years ................................................................................................... 545 336 210 38.5

20 to 24 years ................................................................................................... 4,393 3,565 828 18.9

25 to 64 years ................................................................................................... 25,306 23,653 1,654 6.5

65 years and older ............................................................................................ 1,642 1,593 49 3.0

Men ................................................................................................................... 17,966 16,540 1,426 7.9

Women ............................................................................................................. 13,921 12,607 1,315 9.4

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White ............................................................................................................... 25,798 23,683 2,115 8.2

 Men ................................................................................................................ 14,705 13,614 1,091 7.4

 Women .......................................................................................................... 11,093 10,069 1,024 9.2

Black or African American ............................................................................... 4,135 3,683 452 10.9

 Men ................................................................................................................ 2,140 1,909 231 10.8

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,995 1,774 222 11.1

Asian ................................................................................................................ 1,159 1,069 90 7.8

 Men ................................................................................................................ 656 604 52 8.0

 Women .......................................................................................................... 503 465 37 7.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................... 3,961 3,478 483 12.2

 Men ................................................................................................................ 2,830 2,506 324 11.4

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,131 972 159 14.1

Living arrangements

Living alone ...................................................................................................... 17,303 16,331 972 5.6

Living with others .............................................................................................. 14,584 12,815 1,769 12.1

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

labor force for 27 weeks or more.

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

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

not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
14

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

and salary workers, 2006

[Numbers in thousands]

Labor market problems Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate1

 Total, full-time wage and salary workers ..................................................... 114,265 110,285 3,980 3.5

No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings2 ........ 94,359 93,708 652 .7

Unemployment only .......................................................................................... 5,467 5,071 396 7.2

Involuntary part-time employment only ............................................................. 2,530 2,468 62 2.4

Low earnings only ............................................................................................. 8,547 6,641 1,906 22.3

Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment .................................... 941 867 75 7.9

Unemployment and low earnings ..................................................................... 1,262 760 501 39.7

Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings ........................................ 790 582 208 26.4

Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings ............. 369 188 181 49.0

Unemployment (alone or with other problems) ................................................. 8,039 6,886 1,153 14.3

Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems) ................... 4,631 4,105 526 11.4

Low earnings (alone or with other problems) ................................................... 10,968 8,171 2,797 25.5

1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. 2 The low-earnings threshold in 2006 was $296.72 per week.