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April 2019 
                    Report 1079

				 
			


		
		

		
		

		
		

		
		

		
		

		
		




















									



				 
                
                BLS Reports Menu
                    CONTENTS
                        Demographic characteristics
Educational attainment
Occupation
Families
Unrelated individuals
Labor market problems 
                          Statistical Tables 
						  Table 1. People in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by...Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by...Table 3. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by...Table 4. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during...Table 5. Primary families: poverty status, presence of related children,...Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and...Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more:...Table 8. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status...
                          Technical Notes
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     A profile of the working poor, 2017
A profile of the working poor, 2017 imageAbout 39.7 million people, or 12.3 percent of the nation’s population, lived below the official poverty level in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.(1) (See the technical notes section for examples of poverty levels.) Although the poor were primarily adults who had not participated in the labor force during the year and children, 6.9 million individuals were among the “working poor” in 2017, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; this measure was down from 7.6 million in 2016. The working poor are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force (that is, working or looking for work) but whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level. In 2017, the working-poor rate—the ratio of the working poor to all individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks—was 4.5 percent, 0.4 percentage point lower than the previous year’s figure. (See table A, chart 1, and table 1.)Following are some highlights from the 2017 data:Full-time workers continued to be much less likely to be among the working poor than were part-time workers. Among persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2.9 percent of those usually employed full time were classified as working poor, compared with 10.9 percent of part-time workers. (See table 1.)Women were more likely than men to be among the working poor. In addition, Blacks or African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos continued to be more than twice as likely as Whites and Asians to be among the working poor.(2) (See table 2.)The likelihood of being classified as working poor diminishes as workers attain higher levels of education. Among those with less than a high school diploma, 13.7 percent of those who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks were classified as working poor, compared with 1.5 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. (See table 3.)Individuals who were employed in service occupations continued to be more likely to be among the working poor than those employed in other major occupational groups. (See table 4.)Among families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, those with children under 18 years old were over four times as likely as those without children to live in poverty. Families maintained by women were more than twice as likely as families maintained by men to be living below the poverty level. (See table 5.)Table A. Poverty status of people and primary families in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2007–17 (Numbers in thousands)Characteristic20072008200920102011201220132014201520162017Total in the labor force(1)146,567147,838147,902146,859147,475148,735149,483150,319152,230153,364154,762In poverty7,5218,88310,39110,51210,38210,61210,4509,4878,5607,5726,946Working poor rate5.16.07.07.27.07.17.06.35.64.94.5Unrelated individuals33,22632,78533,79834,09933,73134,81035,06135,01835,95335,78936,959In poverty2,5583,2753,9473,9473,6213,8514,1413,3953,1372,7922,524Working poor rate7.710.011.711.610.711.111.89.78.77.86.8Primary families(2)65,15865,90765,46764,93166,22566,54166,46266,73267,19367,62867,588In poverty4,1694,5385,1935,2695,4695,4785,1375,1084,6074,0823,854Working poor rate6.46.97.98.18.38.27.77.76.96.05.7(1)Includes individuals in families, not shown separately.(2)Primary families with at least one member in the labor force for more than half the year.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).This report presents data on the relationship between labor force activity and poverty status in 2017 for workers and their families. These data were collected in the 2018 Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey. (For a detailed description of the source of the data and an explanation of the concepts and definitions used in the report, see the technical notes.) The specific income thresholds used to determine people’s poverty status vary, depending on whether the individuals are living with family members, living alone, or living with nonrelatives. For people living with family members, the poverty threshold is determined by their family’s total income; for individuals not living in families, their personal income is used as the determinant.View Chart DataChart 1. Working-poor rate of people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1986–2017YearTotal19866.219875.519885.419895.319905.519916.119926.319936.719946.219955.919965.819975.719985.419995.120004.720014.920025.320035.320045.620055.420065.120075.120086.020097.020107.220117.020127.120137.020146.320155.620164.920174.5Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).Demographic characteristicsAmong those who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2017, the number of women classified as working poor (3.8 million) was higher than that of men (3.1 million). The working-poor rate also continued to be higher for women (5.3 percent) than for men (3.8 percent). The working-poor rates for both women and men were down from a year earlier (table 2).Blacks and Hispanics were more than twice as likely as Whites and Asians to be among the working poor. In 2017, the working-poor rate for both Blacks and Hispanics was 7.9 percent, compared with 3.9 percent for Whites and 2.9 percent for Asians (table 2 and chart 2).View Chart DataChart 2. Working-poor rates by gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2017GenderTotalWhiteBlack or African AmericanAsianHispanic or LatinoTotal4.53.97.92.97.9Men3.83.55.63.27Women5.34.5102.59.1Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).Among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, the working-poor rate was higher for women than for men. The rates for White women and White men who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force were 4.5 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively. The rate for Black women was 10.0 percent, compared with 5.6 percent for Black men. The working-poor rate for Hispanic women was 9.1 percent, while the rate for Hispanic men was 7.0 percent. Among Asians, the rates for women and men were little different from each other at 2.5 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.Young workers are more likely to be poor than are workers in older age groups, in part because earnings are lower for young workers and the unemployment rate for young workers is higher. Among youths who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 8.4 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 8.5 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds were living in poverty in 2017. Those rates were higher than the rates for workers ages 25 to 34 (5.7 percent) and 35 to 44 (5.0 percent). Workers ages 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and 65 and older had lower working-poor rates—3.1 percent, 2.6 percent, and 1.5 percent, respectively—than did those in younger age groups (table 2).Educational attainmentAchieving higher levels of education reduces the incidence of living in poverty. Individuals who complete more years of education usually have greater access to higher paying jobs—such as management, professional, and related occupations—than those with fewer years of education. Among people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2017, those with less than a high school diploma had the highest working-poor rate, at 13.7 percent, while those with a bachelor’s degree or higher had the lowest, at 1.5 percent (table 3).In 2017, at all levels of educational attainment except for bachelor’s degree or higher, women were more likely than men to be among the working poor. Among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, men and women were equally likely to be classified as working poor (1.5 percent). Blacks and Hispanics generally were more likely to be among the working poor than were Whites and Asians with the same educational attainment.OccupationThe likelihood of being among the working poor varies widely by occupation. Workers in occupations requiring higher education and characterized by relatively high earnings—such as management, professional, and related occupations—were least likely to be classified as working poor. For example, 1.4 percent of those in management, professional, and related occupations were among the working poor in 2017. By contrast, individuals employed in occupations that typically do not require high levels of education and that are characterized by relatively low earnings were more likely to be among the working poor. For instance, 9.0 percent of service workers who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks were classified as working poor in 2017. The 2.3 million working poor employed in service occupations accounted for 36 percent of all those classified as working poor. Among those employed in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations, 6.0 percent were classified as working poor (table 4).FamiliesIn 2017, 3.9 million families were living below the poverty level despite having at least one member in the labor force for half the year or more. This figure was down from 4.1 million in 2016. Among families with only one member in the labor force for at least 27 weeks in 2017, married-couple families were less likely to be living below the poverty level, at 7.1 percent, than were families maintained by women, at 21.5 percent, or families maintained by men, at 10.9 percent (table 5).Among families with at least one member in the labor force for more than half the year, those with children in the household were much more likely to live below the poverty level than those without children. The proportion of families with children under age 18 who lived in poverty was 9.2 percent, compared with 2.0 percent for families without children. Among families with children under 18, the working-poor rate for those maintained by women (22.4 percent) was higher than that for those maintained by men (10.1 percent). Married-couple families with children under 18 had a working-poor rate of 5.0 percent in 2017.Unrelated individualsThe “unrelated individuals” category includes individuals who live by themselves or with others not related to them. Of the 37.0 million unrelated individuals who were in the labor force for half the year or longer, 2.5 million lived below the poverty level in 2017, down from 2.8 million a year earlier. The working-poor rate for unrelated individuals was 6.8 percent, a decrease of 1.0 percentage point from last year’s figure. (See table 6.)Within the group of unrelated individuals, teenagers continued to be the most likely to be among the working poor. In 2017, 30.9 percent of teens who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more and who lived on their own or with others not related to them lived below the poverty level. Overall, the working-poor rate for men living alone or with nonrelatives was 6.2 percent, and the rate for women was 7.5 percent. The working-poor rates for unrelated individuals were higher for Hispanics and Blacks (9.9 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively) than for Whites (6.2 percent), and Asians (4.6 percent). (See table 7.)Of the 2.5 million unrelated individuals considered to be among the working poor in 2017, about 3 out of 5 lived with others. These individuals had a higher working-poor rate than individuals who lived alone. Many unrelated individuals living below the poverty level may live with others out of necessity. By contrast, many of those who live alone do so because they have sufficient income to support themselves. Unrelated individuals’ poverty status, however, is determined by each person’s resources. The pooling of resources and sharing of living expenses may permit some individuals in this category—who are technically classified as poor—to live at a higher standard than they would have if they lived alone.Labor market problemsAs noted earlier, people who usually work full time are less likely to live in poverty than are those who work part time, yet there remains a sizable group of full-time workers who live below the poverty threshold. Among those who participated in the labor force for 27 weeks or more and usually worked in full-time wage and salary jobs, 3.3 million, or 2.7 percent, were classified as working poor in 2017—little different than the 3.4-million figure a year earlier. (See table 8).There are three major labor market problems that can hinder a worker’s ability to earn an income that is above the poverty threshold: low earnings, periods of unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment. (See the technical notes section for detailed definitions.)In 2017, 80 percent of the working poor who usually work full time experienced at least one of the major labor market problems. Low earnings continued to be the most common problem, with 67 percent subject to low earnings, either as the only problem or in combination with other labor market problems. About 28 percent experienced unemployment as the main labor market problem or in conjunction with other problems. Three percent of the working poor experienced all three problems: low earnings, unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment (table 8).Some 659,000, or 20 percent, of the working poor who usually worked full time did not experience any of the three primary labor market problems in 2017. Their classification as working poor may be explained by other factors, including short-term employment, some weeks of voluntary part-time work, or a family structure that increases the risk of poverty.Notes
			
 
 
 (1) “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2017,” *Current Population Reports*, P60-263 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2018), table 3, https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-263.pdf.
 (2) People of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.
	
	
	 
	 Statistical Tables
        
                                                                


Table 1. People in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2017 (Numbers in thousands)
Poverty status and work experience
Total in labor force
27 weeks or more in labor forceTotal
50 to 52 weeksTotalTotal in the labor force
167,538
154,762
141,425Did not work during the year
2,375
1,067
907Worked during the year
165,163
153,694
140,519Usual full-time workers
132,784
128,271
120,513Usual part-time workers
32,379
25,424
20,006Involuntary part-time workers
6,144
5,282
4,446Voluntary part-time workers
26,235
20,141
15,560At or above poverty levelTotal in the labor force
158,195
147,816
135,730Did not work during the year
1,529
661
551Worked during the year
156,666
147,155
135,178Usual full-time workers
128,244
124,494
117,309Usual part-time workers
28,422
22,661
17,869Involuntary part-time workers
4,916
4,311
3,631Voluntary part-time workers
23,506
18,350
14,238Below poverty levelTotal in the labor force
9,343
6,946
5,696Did not work during the year
846
407
355Worked during the year
8,497
6,539
5,340Usual full-time workers
4,540
3,777
3,204Usual part-time workers
3,957
2,762
2,137Involuntary part-time workers
1,228
971
816Voluntary part-time workers
2,729
1,791
1,321Rate(1)Total in the labor force
5.6
4.5
4.0Did not work during the year
35.6
38.1
39.2Worked during the year
5.1
4.3
3.8Usual full-time workers
3.4
2.9
2.7Usual part-time workers
12.2
10.9
10.7Involuntary part-time workers
20.0
18.4
18.3Voluntary part-time workers
10.4
8.9
8.5(1)Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).



Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2017 (Numbers in thousands)
Age and gender
Total
Below poverty level
Race(1)Total
White
Black or African American
Asian
Hispanic or Latino
Total
White
Black or African American
Asian
Hispanic or Latino
Total
White
Black or African American
Asian
Hispanic or LatinoTotal, 16 years and older
154,762
120,750
19,225
9,699
26,371
6,946
4,754
1,518
279
2,082
4.5
3.9
7.9
2.9
7.916 to 19 years
3,620
2,851
462
119
769
305
196
74
5
89
8.4
6.9
16.1
4.3
11.620 to 24 years
13,170
9,883
1,951
591
2,890
1,115
672
325
27
241
8.5
6.8
16.6
4.6
8.325 to 34 years
35,065
26,235
4,958
2,420
6,968
1,997
1,324
510
65
603
5.7
5.0
10.3
2.7
8.735 to 44 years
32,662
24,740
4,271
2,519
6,539
1,646
1,170
309
68
645
5.0
4.7
7.2
2.7
9.945 to 54 years
32,769
25,812
3,930
2,136
5,354
1,023
744
166
59
329
3.1
2.9
4.2
2.8
6.155 to 64 years
27,190
22,359
2,845
1,458
3,061
709
533
108
51
147
2.6
2.4
3.8
3.5
4.865 years and older
10,286
8,870
808
455
791
152
116
27
4
27
1.5
1.3
3.3
0.9
3.4Men, 16 years and older
82,562
65,721
9,047
5,202
15,085
3,132
2,291
503
166
1,051
3.8
3.5
5.6
3.2
7.016 to 19 years
1,772
1,397
212
67
377
114
74
25
3
42
6.4
5.3
11.6
-
11.120 to 24 years
6,842
5,193
965
317
1,592
475
292
119
16
109
6.9
5.6
12.3
5.0
6.825 to 34 years
18,987
14,509
2,366
1,349
4,038
824
614
126
44
290
4.3
4.2
5.3
3.3
7.235 to 44 years
17,740
13,788
2,003
1,366
3,837
787
602
107
38
352
4.4
4.4
5.3
2.8
9.245 to 54 years
17,230
13,889
1,799
1,100
3,048
496
363
76
35
165
2.9
2.6
4.2
3.2
5.455 to 64 years
14,182
11,829
1,330
764
1,735
363
287
41
27
83
2.6
2.4
3.1
3.6
4.865 years and older
5,810
5,116
371
240
458
74
58
10
2
9
1.3
1.1
2.6
0.9
2.0Women, 16 years and older
72,199
55,030
10,178
4,497
11,286
3,814
2,463
1,015
113
1,032
5.3
4.5
10.0
2.5
9.116 to 19 years
1,848
1,454
250
52
392
191
122
50
2
47
10.3
8.4
19.9
-
12.120 to 24 years
6,328
4,690
986
274
1,298
640
379
205
11
132
10.1
8.1
20.8
4.1
10.225 to 34 years
16,078
11,726
2,591
1,072
2,930
1,173
710
384
21
313
7.3
6.1
14.8
1.9
10.735 to 44 years
14,922
10,952
2,268
1,154
2,702
859
567
202
30
293
5.8
5.2
8.9
2.6
10.845 to 54 years
15,539
11,923
2,131
1,036
2,306
527
381
90
24
164
3.4
3.2
4.2
2.3
7.155 to 64 years
13,008
10,530
1,515
695
1,326
347
245
67
23
64
2.7
2.3
4.4
3.3
4.965 years and older
4,476
3,755
437
215
332
78
58
17
2
18
1.7
1.6
3.9
0.9
5.4(1)Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).



Table 3. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by educational attainment, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2017 (Numbers in thousands)
Educational attainment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Total
Men
Women
Below poverty level
Rate(1)Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
WomenTotal, 16 years and older
154,762
82,562
72,199
6,946
3,132
3,814
4.5
3.8
5.3Less than a high school diploma
12,013
7,488
4,525
1,640
925
715
13.7
12.4
15.8Less than 1 year of high school
3,792
2,496
1,296
548
351
197
14.4
14.0
15.21–3 years of high school
6,398
3,822
2,576
901
457
444
14.1
12.0
17.24 years of high school, no diploma
1,823
1,169
654
192
117
75
10.5
10.0
11.4High school graduates, no college(2)
40,550
24,017
16,534
2,531
1,076
1,455
6.2
4.5
8.8Some college or associate's degree
43,673
21,789
21,885
1,888
690
1,198
4.3
3.2
5.5Some college, no degree
27,236
14,142
13,094
1,370
534
836
5.0
3.8
6.4Associate's degree
16,437
7,647
8,790
518
156
362
3.2
2.0
4.1Bachelor's degree and higher(3)
58,524
29,269
29,255
886
441
445
1.5
1.5
1.5White, 16 years and older
120,750
65,721
55,030
4,754
2,291
2,463
3.9
3.5
4.5Less than a high school diploma
9,482
6,164
3,318
1,185
715
471
12.5
11.6
14.2Less than 1 year of high school
3,150
2,170
980
442
291
150
14.0
13.4
15.31–3 years of high school
4,992
3,097
1,895
614
328
286
12.3
10.6
15.14 years of high school, no diploma
1,339
896
443
130
95
34
9.7
10.6
7.8High school graduates, no college(2)
31,517
19,023
12,493
1,697
775
922
5.4
4.1
7.4Some college or associate's degree
33,806
17,287
16,519
1,216
473
743
3.6
2.7
4.5Some college, no degree
20,737
11,051
9,686
863
352
511
4.2
3.2
5.3Associate's degree
13,069
6,236
6,833
353
121
232
2.7
1.9
3.4Bachelor's degree and higher(3)
45,946
23,247
22,699
655
328
327
1.4
1.4
1.4Black or African American, 16 years and older
19,225
9,047
10,178
1,518
503
1,015
7.9
5.6
10.0Less than a high school diploma
1,344
676
668
296
121
174
22.0
17.9
26.1Less than 1 year of high school
220
94
126
36
14
22
16.4
15.0
17.51–3 years of high school
801
413
388
214
92
123
26.8
22.3
31.64 years of high school, no diploma
323
169
154
45
15
30
14.0
9.0
19.4High school graduates, no college(2)
6,026
3,284
2,742
609
185
424
10.1
5.6
15.4Some college or associate's degree
6,402
2,808
3,595
489
145
343
7.6
5.2
9.5Some college, no degree
4,283
1,977
2,306
380
126
254
8.9
6.4
11.0Associate's degree
2,119
831
1,288
109
19
89
5.1
2.3
6.9Bachelor's degree and higher(3)
5,453
2,279
3,174
124
51
74
2.3
2.2
2.3Asian, 16 years and older
9,699
5,202
4,497
279
166
113
2.9
3.2
2.5Less than a high school diploma
564
279
285
59
34
25
10.4
12.2
8.6Less than 1 year of high school
236
109
127
38
22
16
16.1
20.4
12.51–3 years of high school
238
114
124
16
8
8
6.7
7.2
6.24 years of high school, no diploma
91
56
35
5
4
1
5.3
-
-High school graduates, no college(2)
1,551
870
681
86
52
34
5.6
6.0
5.1Some college or associate's degree
1,727
872
855
56
28
28
3.3
3.2
3.3Some college, no degree
1,041
551
490
33
19
14
3.2
3.5
2.8Associate's degree
687
321
365
23
9
14
3.4
2.8
3.9Bachelor's degree and higher(3)
5,857
3,181
2,676
78
52
26
1.3
1.6
1.0Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older
26,371
15,085
11,286
2,082
1,051
1,032
7.9
7.0
9.1Less than a high school diploma
5,987
4,008
1,979
893
553
340
14.9
13.8
17.2Less than 1 year of high school
2,851
1,954
897
405
260
145
14.2
13.3
16.21–3 years of high school
2,428
1,542
887
401
225
177
16.5
14.6
20.04 years of high school, no diploma
708
513
195
87
69
18
12.3
13.5
9.3High school graduates, no college(2)
8,411
5,164
3,247
676
322
354
8.0
6.2
10.9Some college or associate's degree
7,003
3,512
3,491
368
112
256
5.3
3.2
7.3Some college, no degree
4,695
2,448
2,246
277
85
191
5.9
3.5
8.5Associate's degree
2,309
1,064
1,244
91
27
64
4.0
2.5
5.2Bachelor's degree and higher(3)
4,970
2,401
2,569
145
63
82
2.9
2.6
3.2(1)Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
(2)Includes people with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(3)Includes people with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.
Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).



Table 4. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year: poverty status by occupation of longest job held, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2017 (Numbers in thousands)
Occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Total
Men
Women
Below poverty level
Rate(1)Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
WomenTotal, 16 years and older(2)
153,694
81,945
71,749
6,539
2,911
3,628
4.3
3.6
5.1Management, professional, and related occupations
61,894
29,947
31,948
892
387
505
1.4
1.3
1.6Management, business, and financial operations occupations
25,723
14,205
11,518
267
156
111
1.0
1.1
1.0Professional and related occupations
36,171
15,742
20,429
625
232
394
1.7
1.5
1.9Service occupations
25,902
11,160
14,742
2,341
713
1,628
9.0
6.4
11.0Sales and office occupations
32,901
12,929
19,972
1,446
394
1,052
4.4
3.0
5.3Sales and related occupations
15,418
7,885
7,534
880
253
627
5.7
3.2
8.3Office and administrative support occupations
17,482
5,044
12,438
566
141
425
3.2
2.8
3.4Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
14,332
13,574
758
860
775
85
6.0
5.7
11.2Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
1,181
864
317
115
66
49
9.7
7.7
15.4Construction and extraction occupations
8,220
7,982
238
584
553
31
7.1
6.9
12.8Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
4,931
4,728
203
161
155
6
3.3
3.3
2.9Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
18,579
14,261
4,318
997
642
355
5.4
4.5
8.2Production occupations
8,681
6,097
2,583
420
222
199
4.8
3.6
7.7Transportation and material-moving occupations
9,898
8,164
1,734
577
420
157
5.8
5.1
9.0White, 16 years and older(2)
120,135
65,385
54,750
4,529
2,172
2,358
3.8
3.3
4.3Management, professional, and related occupations
49,277
24,176
25,101
645
286
359
1.3
1.2
1.4Management, business, and financial operations occupations
21,233
12,026
9,207
213
126
87
1.0
1.0
0.9Professional and related occupations
28,044
12,149
15,895
432
160
272
1.5
1.3
1.7Service occupations
18,634
8,168
10,467
1,570
511
1,059
8.4
6.3
10.1Sales and office occupations
25,931
10,327
15,604
932
271
661
3.6
2.6
4.2Sales and related occupations
12,417
6,538
5,879
553
175
378
4.5
2.7
6.4Office and administrative support occupations
13,514
3,788
9,725
378
96
282
2.8
2.5
2.9Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
12,440
11,805
635
720
653
67
5.8
5.5
10.6Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
1,071
805
266
96
57
39
9.0
7.1
14.6Construction and extraction occupations
7,184
6,969
215
492
466
26
6.9
6.7
12.1Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
4,184
4,031
153
132
130
2
3.2
3.2
1.4Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
13,790
10,850
2,940
663
450
212
4.8
4.1
7.2Production occupations
6,624
4,862
1,763
253
144
109
3.8
3.0
6.2Transportation and material-moving occupations
7,165
5,988
1,177
409
306
104
5.7
5.1
8.8Black or African American, 16 years and older(2)
18,873
8,833
10,040
1,357
417
940
7.2
4.7
9.4Management, professional, and related occupations
5,934
2,258
3,676
142
34
108
2.4
1.5
2.9Management, business, and financial operations occupations
2,129
943
1,186
27
5
22
1.3
0.5
1.9Professional and related occupations
3,806
1,316
2,490
115
29
86
3.0
2.2
3.4Service occupations
4,567
1,835
2,732
556
127
429
12.2
6.9
15.7Sales and office occupations
4,181
1,510
2,671
368
86
282
8.8
5.7
10.6Sales and related occupations
1,657
686
971
228
54
174
13.8
7.9
17.9Office and administrative support occupations
2,525
824
1,700
140
32
108
5.5
3.8
6.4Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
1,082
1,013
69
71
59
13
6.6
5.8
-Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
34
14
19
9
3
6
-
-
-Construction and extraction occupations
582
571
10
42
39
3
7.2
6.9
-Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
467
428
39
20
16
4
4.3
3.8
-Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
3,088
2,205
884
218
111
106
7.0
5.1
12.0Production occupations
1,194
721
473
110
40
70
9.2
5.6
14.7Transportation and material-moving occupations
1,894
1,484
411
107
71
36
5.7
4.8
8.9Asian, 16 years and older(2)
9,653
5,175
4,479
275
164
112
2.9
3.2
2.5Management, professional, and related occupations
5,122
2,820
2,301
61
47
14
1.2
1.7
0.6Management, business, and financial operations occupations
1,726
933
792
20
18
2
1.2
2.0
0.2Professional and related occupations
3,396
1,887
1,509
41
29
12
1.2
1.5
0.8Service occupations
1,550
616
934
98
42
57
6.3
6.8
6.1Sales and office occupations
1,639
705
933
41
16
25
2.5
2.2
2.7Sales and related occupations
836
443
393
30
12
18
3.6
2.7
4.6Office and administrative support occupations
802
262
540
11
4
7
1.3
1.4
1.3Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
361
333
28
20
18
2
5.5
5.4
-Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
39
20
20
3
1
2
-
-
-Construction and extraction occupations
162
156
6
15
15
-
9.3
9.6
-Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
160
157
3
2
2
-
1.3
1.3
-Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
981
698
282
55
41
14
5.6
5.9
4.8Production occupations
507
290
217
20
12
8
3.9
4.1
3.5Transportation and material-moving occupations
474
409
65
35
29
6
7.5
7.2
-Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older(2)
26,205
14,998
11,207
2,019
1,025
994
7.7
6.8
8.9Management, professional, and related occupations
5,939
2,815
3,124
162
65
97
2.7
2.3
3.1Management, business, and financial operations occupations
2,449
1,338
1,111
33
19
14
1.3
1.4
1.3Professional and related occupations
3,490
1,477
2,013
129
46
83
3.7
3.1
4.1Service occupations
6,125
2,714
3,411
737
236
501
12.0
8.7
14.7Sales and office occupations
5,325
2,049
3,276
320
77
243
6.0
3.7
7.4Sales and related occupations
2,392
1,104
1,289
195
48
147
8.2
4.3
11.4Office and administrative support occupations
2,932
946
1,987
124
29
95
4.2
3.1
4.8Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
4,407
4,155
252
465
429
36
10.6
10.3
14.4Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
527
372
156
61
33
28
11.6
9.0
17.9Construction and extraction occupations
2,884
2,816
68
336
330
6
11.7
11.7
-Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
995
967
28
68
66
2
6.8
6.8
-Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations
4,398
3,253
1,145
335
219
117
7.6
6.7
10.2Production occupations
2,079
1,353
726
149
81
67
7.2
6.0
9.3Transportation and material-moving occupations
2,319
1,900
419
187
137
49
8.1
7.2
11.8(1)Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year.
(2)Estimates for the occupational groups do not sum to totals because data includes the long-term unemployed with no previous work experience and a small number of people whose last job was in the Armed Forces.
Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).



Table 5. Primary families: poverty status, presence of related children, and work experience of family members in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2017 (Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic
Total families
At or above poverty level
Below poverty level
Rate(1)Total primary families
67,588
63,734
3,854
5.7With related children under 18 years
34,759
31,547
3,212
9.2Without children
32,829
32,187
642
2.0With one member in the labor force
29,212
25,803
3,410
11.7With two or more members in the labor force
38,376
37,932
444
1.2With two members
31,792
31,372
420
1.3With three or more members
6,584
6,560
24
0.4Married-couple families(2)
49,945
48,422
1,523
3.0With related children under 18 years
24,275
23,063
1,212
5.0Without children
25,670
25,359
311
1.2With one member in the labor force
17,497
16,253
1,243
7.1Husband
12,463
11,489
973
7.8Wife
4,326
4,100
226
5.2Relative
708
664
44
6.2With two or more members in the labor force
32,448
32,169
280
0.9With two members
27,210
26,942
268
1.0With three or more members
5,239
5,227
12
0.2Families maintained by women(3)
12,140
10,199
1,941
16.0With related children under 18 years
7,665
5,951
1,714
22.4Without children
4,474
4,247
227
5.1With one member in the labor force
8,368
6,567
1,801
21.5Householder
6,734
5,170
1,564
23.2Relative
1,634
1,397
236
14.5With two or more members in the labor force
3,772
3,631
140
3.7Families maintained by men(3)
5,503
5,114
390
7.1With related children under 18 years
2,819
2,533
286
10.1Without children
2,685
2,581
104
3.9With one member in the labor force
3,348
2,982
366
10.9Householder
2,744
2,465
279
10.2Relative
603
517
86
14.3With two or more members in the labor force
2,156
2,132
24
1.1(1)Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year.
(2)Refers to opposite-sex married-couple families only.
(3)No opposite-sex spouse present.
Note: Data relate to primary families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).



Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and work experience, 2017 (Numbers in thousands)
Poverty status and work experience
Total
In married-couple families(1)
In families maintained by women(2)
In families maintained by men(2)
Unrelated individualsHusbands
Wives
Related children under 18 years
Other relatives
Householder
Related children under 18 years
Other relatives
Householder
Related children under 18 years
Other relativesTotalAll people
257,097
60,550
61,186
5,663
22,032
15,410
2,202
14,792
6,394
662
6,910
61,297With labor force activity
167,538
45,465
37,355
1,497
14,062
10,668
474
9,067
4,950
173
4,390
39,4381 to 26 weeks
12,776
1,512
2,626
827
2,526
660
269
1,097
281
96
403
2,47927 weeks or more
154,762
43,953
34,729
671
11,536
10,008
205
7,969
4,668
77
3,987
36,959With no labor force activity
89,559
15,085
23,832
4,165
7,970
4,741
1,728
5,725
1,444
489
2,520
21,859At or above poverty levelAll people
228,963
57,564
58,183
5,321
21,217
11,453
1,516
12,618
5,604
567
6,336
48,583With labor force activity
158,195
44,038
36,676
1,456
13,871
8,642
363
8,428
4,556
159
4,220
35,7851 to 26 weeks
10,379
1,325
2,417
795
2,460
318
199
886
189
85
356
1,35027 weeks or more
147,816
42,714
34,259
661
11,411
8,324
164
7,542
4,367
75
3,864
34,435With no labor force activity
70,768
13,525
21,507
3,865
7,346
2,811
1,153
4,191
1,048
408
2,116
12,798Below poverty levelAll people
28,134
2,986
3,003
341
815
3,957
686
2,174
790
94
574
12,714With labor force activity
9,343
1,426
678
41
190
2,027
111
639
394
13
170
3,6521 to 26 weeks
2,397
187
209
32
66
342
70
211
92
11
47
1,12927 weeks or more
6,946
1,239
469
9
124
1,684
41
427
302
2
123
2,524With no labor force activity
18,791
1,560
2,325
300
624
1,930
575
1,535
396
81
404
9,062Rate(3)All people
10.9
4.9
4.9
6.0
3.7
25.7
31.1
14.7
12.4
14.3
8.3
20.7With labor force activity
5.6
3.1
1.8
2.8
1.4
19.0
23.4
7.0
8.0
7.7
3.9
9.31 to 26 weeks
18.8
12.4
8.0
3.9
2.6
51.9
25.9
19.3
32.8
11.6
11.7
45.527 weeks or more
4.5
2.8
1.4
1.4
1.1
16.8
20.1
5.4
6.5
2.9
3.1
6.8With no labor force activity
21.0
10.3
9.8
7.2
7.8
40.7
33.3
26.8
27.4
16.6
16.0
41.5(1)Refers to opposite-sex married-couple families only.
(2)No opposite-sex spouse present.
(3)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.
Note: Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).



Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and living arrangement, 2017 (Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic
Total
At or above poverty level
Below poverty level
Rate(1)Age and genderTotal unrelated individuals
36,959
34,435
2,524
6.816 to 19 years
413
285
127
30.920 to 24 years
4,360
3,728
632
14.525 to 64 years
29,302
27,588
1,714
5.865 years and older
2,885
2,834
51
1.8Men
20,206
18,945
1,261
6.2Women
16,753
15,490
1,263
7.5Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicityWhite
28,482
26,717
1,765
6.2Men
15,760
14,862
898
5.7Women
12,722
11,855
867
6.8Black or African American
5,432
4,912
520
9.6Men
2,793
2,548
245
8.8Women
2,639
2,364
275
10.4Asian
1,762
1,681
82
4.6Men
971
934
37
3.8Women
792
747
45
5.7Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
5,030
4,531
499
9.9Men
3,198
2,928
270
8.4Women
1,832
1,603
229
12.5Living arrangementLiving alone
18,503
17,521
982
5.3Living with others
18,456
16,915
1,541
8.4(1)Number below the poverty level as percent of total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).



Table 8. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status and labor market problems of full-time wage and salary workers, 2017 (Numbers in thousands)
Labor market problems
Total
At or above poverty level
Below poverty level
Rate(1)Total, full-time wage and salary workers
121,997
118,683
3,314
2.7No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings(2)
104,625
103,966
659
0.6Workers experiencing one labor market problemUnemployment only
5,000
4,720
280
5.6Involuntary part-time employment only
2,602
2,540
61
2.4Low earnings only
6,936
5,451
1,485
21.4Workers experiencing multiple labor market problemsUnemployment and involuntary part-time employment
828
742
86
10.4Unemployment and low earnings
1,097
659
438
39.9Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings
600
405
195
32.5Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings
310
199
111
35.7Workers experiencing each labor market problemUnemployment (alone or with other problems)
7,235
6,320
915
12.6Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems)
4,340
3,887
453
10.4Low earnings (alone or with other problems)
8,943
6,714
2,228
24.9(1)Number below the poverty level as percent of total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
(2)The low-earnings threshold in 2017 was $360.78 per week.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Technical Notes
     
The data presented in this report were collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CPS is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households. Data from the CPS are used to obtain monthly estimates of the nation’s employment and unemployment levels. The ASEC, conducted in the months of February through April, includes questions about work activity and income during the previous calendar year. For instance, data collected in 2018 are for the 2017 calendar year.
Estimates in this report are based on a sample and, consequently, may differ from estimates that would have been obtained from a complete count using the same questionnaire and procedures. Sampling variability may be relatively large in cases where the numbers are small. Thus, both small estimates and small differences between estimates should be interpreted with caution. For a detailed explanation of the ASEC supplement to the CPS, its sampling variability, more extensive definitions than those provided here, and additional information about income and poverty measures, see “Income and poverty in the United States: 2017,” *Current Population Reports*, P60-263 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2018), https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-263.pdf.
Material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission.
Upon request, the information in this report is available to individuals who are sensory impaired. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
For more information on the data provided in this report, contact the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Labor Force Statistics. Email: cpsinfo@bls.gov; Telephone: (202) 691-6378.
Concepts and definitions
*Poverty classification*. Poverty statistics presented in this report are based on definitions developed by the Social Security Administration in 1964 and revised by federal interagency committees in 1969 and 1981. These definitions originally were based on the Department of Agriculture’s Economy Food Plan and reflected the different consumption requirements of families on the basis of factors such as family size and the number of children under 18 years of age.
The actual poverty thresholds vary with the makeup of the family. In 2017, the weighted average poverty threshold for a family of four was $25,094; for a family of nine or more people, the threshold was $50,681; and for one person (unrelated individual), it was $12,488. Poverty thresholds are updated each year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Thresholds do not vary geographically. For more information, see “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2017,” https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-263.pdf.
*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 year 1967 was chosen as the base year because that was the first year in which minimum-wage legislation covered essentially the same broad group of workers that currently is covered. The low-earnings level has been adjusted each year since then in accordance with the CPI-U, so the measure maintains the same real value that it held in 1987. In 2017, the low-earnings threshold was $360.78 per week. For a complete definition, see Bruce W. Klein and Philip L. Rones, “A profile of the working poor,” *Monthly Labor Review*, October 1989, pp. 3–11, https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1989/10/art1full.pdf.
*Income*. Data on income are limited to money income—before personal income taxes and payroll deductions—received in the calendar year preceding the CPS supplement. Data on income do not include the value of noncash benefits, such as food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, public housing, and employer-provided benefits. For a complete definition of income, see “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2017,” https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-263.pdf.
*Labor force*. People in the labor force are those who worked or looked for work sometime during the calendar year. The number of weeks in the labor force is accumulated over the entire year. The focus in this report is on people who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
*Working poor*. The working poor are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force (that is, working or looking for work) but whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level.
*Working-poor rate*. This rate is the number of individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level, as a percentage of all people who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks during the calendar year.
*Involuntary part-time workers*. These are people who, during at least 1 week of the year, worked fewer than 35 hours because of slack work or unfavorable business conditions or because they could not find full-time work. The number of weeks of involuntary part-time work is accumulated over the year.
*Occupation*. This term refers to the job in which a person worked the most weeks during the calendar year.
*Unemployed*. Unemployed people are those who looked for work while not employed or those who were on layoff from a job and were expecting to be recalled to that job. The number of weeks unemployed is accumulated over the entire year.
*Householder.* The householder is the family reference person. This is the person, or one of the persons, in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented. The relationships of the other individuals in the household are defined in terms of their relationships to the householder. The race or ethnicity of the family is determined by that of the householder.
*Family*. A family is a group of two or more people residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption; all such people are considered members of one family. The count of families is for “primary” families only. A primary family consists of a householder and all other people related to and residing with the householder. A subfamily is a family that does not maintain its own household, for example, a married couple living in the home of a friend and their family. Families include those with or without children under 18 years old. Families are classified either as married-couple families, which refers to opposite-sex married couples only, or as those maintained by men or women without opposite-sex spouses present. The household may or may not include a same-sex spouse or an unmarried domestic partner of either sex. Family status is determined at the time of the survey interview and, thus, may be different from that of the previous year.
*Unrelated individuals*. These are people who are not living with anyone related to them by birth, marriage, or adoption. Such individuals may live alone, reside in a nonrelated family household, or live in group quarters with other unrelated individuals.
*Related children*. Related children are children under age 18 (including sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children) of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family, as well as other children related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption.
*Race*. White, Black or African American, and Asian are categories used to describe the race of people. People in these categories are those who selected that race group only. Data for the two remaining race categories—American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander—and for people who selected more than one race category are included in totals, but are not shown separately because the number of survey respondents is too small to develop estimates of sufficient quality for publication. In the enumeration process, race is determined by the household respondent.
*Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.*This term refers to people who identified themselves in the CPS enumeration process as being of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish ethnicity. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Facebook
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