A Profi le of the Working 

Poor, 2007

I

n 2007, according to the Census Bureau, 37.3 million people, 

or 12.5 percent of the population, lived at or below the offi cial 

poverty level.1

 Although the Nation’s poor were primarily children 

and adults who had not participated in the labor force during the 

year, 7.5 million were among the “working poor.” This level is 

slightly higher than the level reported in 2006. The working poor 

are individuals who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force 

(working or looking for work), but whose incomes still fell below 

the offi cial poverty level. In 2007, the working poor rate—the ratio 

of the working poor to all individuals in the labor force for at least 

27 weeks—was 5.1 percent, unchanged from the rate reported in 

2006. (See tables A and 1, and chart 1.) 

Following are some additional highlights from the 2007 data: 

• Among persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2007,

 3.6 percent of those usually employed full time were classifi ed

 as working poor, compared with 11.9 percent of part-time

 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 2007.

• The likelihood of being classifi ed as working poor greatly 

 diminishes as workers attain higher levels of education. In 2007, 

 only 1.3 percent of college graduates who were in the labor force 

 for at least 27 weeks were among the working poor, compared 

 with 16.5 percent of those with less than a high school 

 diploma.

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

 for 27 weeks or more, those families with children under 18 years 

 old were 5 times more likely than those without children to live 

 in poverty.

• Women who maintain families were more than twice as likely

 as their male counterparts to be among the working poor.

This report presents data on the relationship between labor 

force activity and poverty in 2007 for workers and their families. 

The specifi c income thresholds used to determine people’s poverty 

status differ depending on 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 family’s total income; for individuals not living in families, 

their personal income is used as the determinant. The data were 

collected in the 2008 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 individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks during 

2007, slightly more women (3.9 million) than men (3.6 million) 

were poor. The working-poor rate continued to be higher for 

women, at 5.8 percent, than it was for men, at 4.6 percent. (See 

table 2.) The rate for men was slightly higher in 2007 than it was 

in 2006, while the rate for women was unchanged.

Although 71 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 among the working poor. 

White working men and women who spent at least 27 weeks or 

more in the labor force were about equally likely to be poor. In 

contrast, Black working women had a working-poor rate of 11.6 

percent, much higher than the rate for employed Black men (7.5 

percent).

Young workers are more vulnerable to poverty than other 

groups, in part because their earnings are lower and unemployment 

is higher for them than for their older counterparts. Among youths 

who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2007, 10.2 

percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 10.6 percent of 20- to 24-yearolds were in poverty. These rates were roughly twice the rate 

for workers aged 35 to 44 (5.0 percent) and 3 times the rate for 

workers aged 45 to 54 (3.3 percent).

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisitics

March 2009

Report 1012

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

labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2004-07 

(Numbers in thousands) 

 Characteristic 2004 2005 2006 2007

Total persons1

 ........................... 140,908 142,824 145,229 146,567

 In poverty ............................... 7,836 7,744 7,427 7,521

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

Unrelated individuals ................. 30,694 31,422 31,887 33,226

 In poverty ............................... 2,742 2,846 2,741 2,558

 Poverty rate............................ 8.9 9.1 8.6 7.7

Primary families2

 ........................ 63,912 64,360 65,388 65,158

 In poverty ............................... 4,261 4,094 3,960 4,169

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

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: 

2007, Current Population Reports, series P-60, no. 235 (U.S. Census Bureau, 

August 2008), available on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/

p60-235.pdf.

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

Educational Attainment

The incidence of living in poverty greatly diminishes as workers 

achieve higher levels of education. 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. Of all the people in the labor force 

for more than half of 2007, those with less than a high school 

diploma had a higher working-poor rate (16.5 percent) than did 

high school graduates with no college (6.3 percent). Workers with 

an associate degree or a 4-year college degree posted the lowest 

working-poor rates—2.8 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively. At 

all levels of educational attainment, Blacks and Hispanics were 

more likely to be among the working poor than were Whites or 

Asians. (See table 3.) 

Among employed White men and women, working-poor rates 

were fairly similar at all educational levels. For example, 15.9 

percent of White women with less than a high school diploma 

who spent at least half the year in the labor force were among 

the working poor, compared with 14.8 percent of their male 

counterparts. Among college graduates, the proportions classifi ed 

as working poor for White women and men were 1.3 percent and 

1.0 percent, respectively. In contrast, Black women with less than 

a high school diploma were considerably more likely than their 

male counterparts to be among the working poor; 32.6 percent of 

Black women with less than a high school diploma were among 

the working poor, compared with 20.7 percent of men. 

Occupation

The likelihood of being among the working poor varies widely 

by occupation. Workers in occupations requiring higher education 

and characterized by relatively higher earnings—such as 

managerial, professional, and related occupations—were least 

likely (1.6 percent) to be classifi ed as working poor in 2007. In 

contrast, individuals employed in occupations that typically do 

not require high levels of education and that are characterized 

by relatively lower earnings were more likely to be among the 

working poor. For example, 10.7 percent of service workers 

were classifi ed as working poor in 2007. Indeed, service 

occupations, with 2.4 million working poor, accounted for nearly 

one-third of all those classifi ed as working poor. Overall, 6.7 

percent of workers employed in natural resource, construction, 

and maintenance occupations were classifi ed as working poor. 

Within this occupation group, 12.3 percent of workers employed 

in farming, forestry, and fi shing occupations and 8.1 percent of 

those in construction and extraction occupations were classifi ed 

as working poor. (See table 4.) 

Families

In 2007, 4.2 million families were living below the poverty level, 

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

the year or more. Their number was little changed from 2006. 

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

27 weeks in 2007, married-couple families had a lower likelihood 

(8.0 percent) of living below the poverty level than did families 

maintained by women (23.6 percent) or by men (11.7 percent); 

this pattern was true regardless of which member of the marriedcouple family was in the labor force. (See table 5.) 

Among families with at least one member in the labor force 

Chart 1. Poverty rate of persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1987-2007

Percent

7

6

5

4

1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
3

for half the year, those with children had a greater likelihood of 

living below the poverty level than families without children. 

The proportion of families with children younger than 18

years that lived in poverty was 10.0 percent, in contrast to 2.0 

percent for families without children. About 25 percent of 

families with children under the age of 18 that were maintained by 

a woman were in poverty. The proportion for families maintained 

by men with children also was high, at 11.6 percent. Among 

married-couple families with children, the proportion classifi ed 

as working poor was 5.5 percent, slightly higher than in 2006. 

(See table 5.)

Unrelated individuals 

Of the 33.2 million unrelated individuals who were in the labor 

force for half of the year or longer in 2007, 2.6 million lived 

below the poverty level. The “unrelated individuals” category 

includes individuals who live by themselves or with others not 

related to them. The working-poor rate for unrelated individuals 

was 7.7 percent in 2007, down from 8.6 percent in 2006. (See 

table 6.) 

Within the unrelated individuals group, teenagers were the 

most likely to be poor. In 2007, there were 166,000 teens (nearly 

1 in 3) living on their own or with others not related to them who 

lived below the poverty level. The working-poor rate was slightly 

higher for women living alone or with unrelated individuals than 

it was for men living in comparable circumstances: 8.2 percent, 

compared with 7.3 percent. The number of White unrelated 

individuals classifi ed as working poor was much larger than 

the number of Blacks or Hispanics so classifi ed; however, the 

working-poor rates for the latter two groups were 8.7 percent and 

11.8 percent, respectively, compared with 7.3 percent for Whites. 

(See table 7.) 

Of the 2.6 million unrelated individuals considered to be among 

the working poor in 2007, more than three-fi fths lived with others. 

These individuals had a working-poor rate nearly twice that of 

individuals who lived alone. Many unrelated individuals living 

below the poverty level might live with others out of necessity. 

Conversely, many of those who live alone do so because they have 

suffi cient 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 

classifi ed as poor—to live at a higher standard than they would 

if they lived alone.

Labor market problems

As noted earlier, workers who usually work full time are much 

less likely than other workers to live in poverty, 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, 3.9 million (3.3 percent) were classifi ed as working poor in 

2007. (See table 8.) The comparable proportion for 2006 was 3.5 

percent.

There are three major labor market problems that can hinder a 

worker’s ability to earn an income above the poverty threshold: 

low earnings, periods of unemployment, and involuntary parttime employment. (See the Technical Note for detailed defi nitions 

of these terms.)

In 2007, 82.1 percent of the working poor who usually worked 

full time experienced at least one of the major labor market 

problems. Low earnings continued to be the most common 

problem, with nearly 7 in 10 subject to low earnings, either alone 

or in combination with other labor market problems. About 29 

percent experienced unemployment alone or in conjunction with 

other problems. Only 4.9 percent of the working poor experienced 

all three problems—low earnings, unemployment, and involuntary 

part-time employment.

Some 688,000 (17.9 percent) of the working poor who usually 

worked full time did not experience any of the three primary labor 

market problems in 2007. Their classifi cation as working poor may 

be explained by other factors, including short-term employment, 

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

that increases the risk of poverty.
4

Technical Note

Source of data

The data presented in this report were collected in the Annual 

Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 

households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau 

of Labor Statistics. Data from the CPS are used to obtain the 

monthly estimates of the Nation’s employment and unemployment levels. This supplement, conducted in February, March, and 

April, includes questions about work activity and income during 

the prior calendar year. For instance, data collected in 2008 refer 

to the 2007 calendar year.

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

might differ from fi gures that would have been obtained from 

a complete count using the same questionnaire and procedures. 

Sampling variability could 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 here, see Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007, Current Population

Reports, series P-60, no. 235 (U.S. Census Bureau, August 2008). 

This publication also is available on the U.S. Census Bureau Web 

site at www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p60-235.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; or contact the Division of Labor Force 

Statistics at www.bls.gov/cps/contact.htm

Comparability of estimates

The 2007 estimates in this report, which were collected in the 

2008 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS, are 

not strictly comparable with data for 2006 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2008 of revised population 

controls used in the CPS. For additional information, see “Adjustments to Household Survey Population Estimates in January 

2008,” in the February 2008 issue of Employment and Earnings,

available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cps/cps08adj.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 the 

Department of Agriculture’s Economy Food Plan and refl ected 

the different consumption requirements of families relying 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 2007, the average poverty threshold 

for a family of four was $21,203; for a family of nine or more 

persons, the threshold was $42,739; and for an unrelated individual aged 65 and older, it was $9,944. 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: 2007,

cited previously.)

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 that currently is covered. The low-earnings level has 

subsequently been adjusted each year using the CPI-U so that 

the measure maintains the same real value that it held in 1987. 

In 2007, the low-earnings threshold was $305.17 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, available on the Internet at http://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 supplement. 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: 2007, cited

previously.

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 who were in the labor force 

for 27 weeks or more.

Involuntary part-time workers. These are persons who, in at least 

1 week of the year, worked fewer than 35 hours because of slack 

work or business conditions or because they could not fi nd fulltime work. The number of weeks of involuntary part-time work is 

accumulated over the year.

Occupation. This refers to the occupation in which a person 

worked the most weeks during the calendar year.

Unemployed. Unemployed persons are those who looked for work 

while not employed or those who were on layoff from a job and 

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

unemployed is accumulated over the entire year.
5

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 marriedcouple families or as those maintained by men or women without 

spouses present. Family status is determined at the time of the 

interview and thus could be different from that of the previous 

year.

Unrelated individuals. These are persons who are not living with 

any relatives. Such individuals either live alone, reside in a nonrelated family household, or live in group quarters with other unrelated individuals.

Related children. Related children are children (including sons, 

daughters, and step- or 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 a person’s race. People are classifi ed in these 

categories when they select 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. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is assigned to 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.
Table 1. People in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2007

(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 ................................................................................ 159,750 146,567 133,345

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 2,097 898 745

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 157,653 145,670 132,600

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 127,538 122,445 114,907

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 30,115 23,225 17,693

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 5,565 4,680 3,750

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 24,550 18,544 13,943

At or above poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 149,853 139,046 127,208

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 1,274 506 422

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 148,579 138,541 126,786

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 122,255 118,075 111,154

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 26,324 20,466 15,632

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 4,199 3,565 2,846

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 22,125 16,902 12,785

Below poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 9,897 7,521 6,137

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 823 392 323

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 9,074 7,129 5,814

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 5,283 4,371 3,753

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 3,791 2,759 2,061

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 1,366 1,116 903

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 2,426 1,643 1,158

Rate 1

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

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 39.2 43.6 43.3

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 5.8 4.9 4.4

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 4.1 3.6 3.3

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 12.6 11.9 11.7

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 24.5 23.8 24.1

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 9.9 8.9 8.3

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

6
Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity, 2007

(Numbers in thousands)

Age and sex Total White

Black or

African

American

Asian

Hispanic

or Latino

ethnicity

Below poverty level

Total White

Black or

African

American

Asian

Hispanic

or Latino

ethnicity

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 146,567 119,792 16,586 6,766 20,461 7,521 5,357 1,612 262 2,139

16 to 19 years ....................................... 4,079 3,397 416 94 664 416 318 71 9 99

20 to 24 years ....................................... 13,315 10,736 1,694 433 2,346 1,413 1,038 296 20 302

25 to 34 years ....................................... 31,963 25,377 3,973 1,698 6,204 2,126 1,460 514 65 713

35 to 44 years ....................................... 34,211 27,346 4,165 1,892 5,458 1,716 1,212 381 67 595

45 to 54 years ....................................... 35,187 29,060 3,885 1,577 3,684 1,175 869 211 55 312

55 to 64 years ....................................... 21,658 18,476 1,982 860 1,682 569 385 117 44 102

65 years and older ................................ 6,155 5,401 471 212 422 106 75 24 3 16

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 78,944 65,794 7,684 3,599 12,464 3,631 2,765 576 140 1,283

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,048 1,718 181 54 402 204 156 33 7 57

20 to 24 years ....................................... 7,168 5,817 861 224 1,453 584 438 108 4 169

25 to 34 years ....................................... 17,535 14,310 1,818 907 3,978 1,001 783 147 28 462

35 to 44 years ....................................... 18,651 15,276 1,906 1,035 3,288 876 658 152 37 340

45 to 54 years ....................................... 18,685 15,693 1,828 821 2,126 637 490 91 33 190

55 to 64 years ....................................... 11,437 9,937 870 445 953 278 202 38 28 55

65 years and older ................................ 3,421 3,042 220 114 264 51 38 7 2 11

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 67,624 53,999 8,902 3,167 7,997 3,890 2,592 1,036 123 856

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,032 1,679 235 39 262 212 162 38 1 42

20 to 24 years ....................................... 6,147 4,919 833 209 893 828 600 187 15 133

25 to 34 years ....................................... 14,428 11,067 2,155 791 2,225 1,125 676 367 37 251

35 to 44 years ....................................... 15,560 12,070 2,259 858 2,171 840 554 228 30 255

45 to 54 years ....................................... 16,502 13,367 2,057 756 1,559 539 379 119 22 122

55 to 64 years ....................................... 10,221 8,539 1,112 416 730 290 183 79 16 47

65 years and older ................................ 2,734 2,359 251 98 158 55 37 16 1 5

Age and sex

Rate 1

Total White

Black or

African

American

Asian

Hispanic or

Latino

ethnicity

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 5.1 4.5 9.7 3.9 10.5

16 to 19 years ....................................... 10.2 9.4 17.0 9.2 14.9

20 to 24 years ....................................... 10.6 9.7 17.4 4.5 12.9

25 to 34 years ....................................... 6.7 5.8 12.9 3.8 11.5

35 to 44 years ....................................... 5.0 4.4 9.1 3.5 10.9

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.3 3.0 5.4 3.5 8.5

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.6 2.1 5.9 5.1 6.1

65 years and older ................................ 1.7 1.4 5.0 1.3 3.7

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 4.6 4.2 7.5 3.9 10.3

16 to 19 years ....................................... 10.0 9.1 18.0 2 ( ) 14.1

20 to 24 years ....................................... 8.2 7.5 12.6 2.0 11.6

25 to 34 years ....................................... 5.7 5.5 8.1 3.1 11.6

35 to 44 years ....................................... 4.7 4.3 8.0 3.5 10.3

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.4 3.1 5.0 4.0 8.9

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.4 2.0 4.3 6.2 5.8

65 years and older ................................ 1.5 1.3 3.3 1.9 4.0

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 5.8 4.8 11.6 3.9 10.7

16 to 19 years ....................................... 10.4 9.7 16.3 2 ( ) 16.1

20 to 24 years ....................................... 13.5 12.2 22.5 7.3 14.9

25 to 34 years ....................................... 7.8 6.1 17.0 4.7 11.3

35 to 44 years ....................................... 5.4 4.6 10.1 3.5 11.8

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.3 2.8 5.8 2.9 7.8

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.8 2.1 7.1 3.9 6.4

65 years and older ................................ 2.0 1.6 6.5 0.6 3.2

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

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

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (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. Dash represents or rounds to

zero.

7
Table 3. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by educational attainment, race, Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity, and sex, 2007

(Numbers in thousands)

Educational attainment, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate 1

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total, 16 years and older ......................... 146,567 78,944 67,624 7,521 3,631 3,890 5.1 4.6 5.8

Less than a high school diploma ................ 15,013 9,612 5,401 2,474 1,482 993 16.5 15.4 18.4

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 4,568 3,178 1,389 838 597 241 18.3 18.8 17.4

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 8,752 5,395 3,357 1,415 765 651 16.2 14.2 19.4

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 1,693 1,039 655 221 121 100 13.1 11.6 15.3

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 42,799 24,216 18,583 2,696 1,222 1,474 6.3 5.0 7.9

Some college or associate degree ............. 42,784 21,167 21,617 1,756 651 1,105 4.1 3.1 5.1

 Some college, no degree ......................... 28,819 14,625 14,194 1,363 496 867 4.7 3.4 6.1

 Associate degree ..................................... 13,964 6,542 7,423 393 156 238 2.8 2.4 3.2

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 45,972 23,949 22,023 595 276 319 1.3 1.2 1.4

 White, 16 years and older ........................ 119,792 65,794 53,999 5,357 2,765 2,592 4.5 4.2 4.8

Less than a high school diploma ................ 12,174 8,070 4,104 1,847 1,196 652 15.2 14.8 15.9

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 3,914 2,785 1,129 716 523 193 18.3 18.8 17.1

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 6,952 4,473 2,479 995 599 395 14.3 13.4 16.0

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 1,308 812 496 137 74 63 10.5 9.1 12.8

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 34,872 20,134 14,738 1,815 900 915 5.2 4.5 6.2

Some college or associate degree ............. 34,869 17,561 17,308 1,257 465 792 3.6 2.6 4.6

 Some college, no degree ......................... 23,296 12,071 11,224 977 359 618 4.2 3.0 5.5

 Associate degree ..................................... 11,573 5,490 6,084 280 106 174 2.4 1.9 2.9

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 37,877 20,029 17,849 438 204 233 1.2 1.0 1.3

 Black or African American, 16 years and

older ..................................................... 16,586 7,684 8,902 1,612 576 1,036 9.7 7.5 11.6

Less than a high school diploma ................ 1,785 952 833 468 197 272 26.2 20.7 32.6

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 229 141 88 58 30 28 25.5 21.3 32.4

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 1,285 648 637 352 135 216 27.3 20.9 33.9

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 270 162 108 58 31 27 21.6 19.3 25.1

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 5,733 2,871 2,862 703 237 466 12.3 8.2 16.3

Some college or associate degree ............. 5,404 2,283 3,121 372 118 254 6.9 5.2 8.1

 Some college, no degree ......................... 3,812 1,655 2,157 286 88 198 7.5 5.3 9.2

 Associate degree ..................................... 1,592 628 964 86 30 55 5.4 4.8 5.8

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 3,664 1,578 2,086 69 25 44 1.9 1.6 2.1

 Asian, 16 years and older ........................ 6,766 3,599 3,167 262 140 123 3.9 3.9 3.9

Less than a high school diploma ................ 505 243 262 61 34 27 12.1 13.9 10.5

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 236 106 130 27 16 11 11.5 15.4 8.3

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 198 95 103 20 8 12 10.1 8.0 12.0

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 70 42 28 14 10 4 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 4 ( )

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 1,182 614 568 78 39 39 6.6 6.4 6.8

Some college or associate degree ............. 1,319 717 602 55 28 27 4.2 3.8 4.6

 Some college, no degree ......................... 841 467 374 48 24 24 5.8 5.1 6.5

 Associate degree ..................................... 478 250 228 7 4 3 1.4 1.4 1.3

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 3,761 2,025 1,736 68 39 29 1.8 1.9 1.7

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and

older ...................................................... 20,461 12,464 7,997 2,139 1,283 856 10.5 10.3 10.7

Less than a high school diploma ................ 6,614 4,644 1,970 1,220 819 401 18.5 17.6 20.3

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 3,281 2,410 871 600 449 151 18.3 18.6 17.4

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 2,760 1,865 895 535 326 210 19.4 17.5 23.4

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 573 368 204 85 45 40 14.8 12.2 19.4

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 6,359 3,970 2,388 595 330 265 9.4 8.3 11.1

Some college or associate degree ............. 4,637 2,373 2,264 249 95 153 5.4 4.0 6.8

 Some college, no degree ......................... 3,330 1,750 1,581 181 61 119 5.4 3.5 7.5

 Associate degree ..................................... 1,307 624 683 68 34 34 5.2 5.5 5.0

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 2,851 1,477 1,375 74 38 37 2.6 2.5 2.7

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.

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

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (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.

8
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, 2007

(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 .......................................... 145,670 78,396 67,273 7,131 3,385 3,746 4.9 4.3 5.6

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 51,584 25,276 26,308 796 351 445 1.5 1.4 1.7

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 21,696 12,294 9,402 296 180 116 1.4 1.5 1.2

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 29,888 12,982 16,906 500 171 328 1.7 1.3 1.9

 Service occupations ...................................................... 23,806 10,379 13,427 2,672 878 1,794 11.2 8.5 13.4

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 35,752 13,102 22,649 1,549 432 1,117 4.3 3.3 4.9

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 16,240 8,362 7,878 903 259 644 5.6 3.1 8.2

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 19,512 4,740 14,772 646 173 472 3.3 3.7 3.2

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 15,782 15,113 669 1,033 972 61 6.5 6.4 9.1

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 1,064 864 200 124 104 19 11.6 12.1 9.7

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 9,489 9,241 247 745 718 27 7.9 7.8 11.0

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 5,229 5,008 221 164 150 14 3.1 3.0 6.4

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 18,653 14,452 4,201 1,080 751 329 5.8 5.2 7.8

 Production occupations ............................................... 9,520 6,625 2,895 475 274 202 5.0 4.1 7.0

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 9,134 7,827 1,306 605 477 128 6.6 6.1 9.8

 White, 16 years and older2 ......................................... 119,233 65,439 53,794 5,137 2,623 2,513 4.3 4.0 4.7

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 43,114 21,509 21,605 558 252 306 1.3 1.2 1.4

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 18,676 10,890 7,786 236 145 91 1.3 1.3 1.2

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 24,438 10,619 13,818 322 107 215 1.3 1.0 1.6

 Service occupations ...................................................... 18,044 8,031 10,014 1,828 655 1,173 10.1 8.2 11.7

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 29,348 10,847 18,501 1,090 318 772 3.7 2.9 4.2

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 13,643 7,206 6,437 633 203 430 4.6 2.8 6.7

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 15,705 3,641 12,065 457 115 342 2.9 3.2 2.8

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 13,851 13,301 549 899 847 51 6.5 6.4 9.4

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 929 763 167 109 90 18 11.7 11.9 10.9

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 8,399 8,199 200 662 635 26 7.9 7.7 13.1

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 4,522 4,339 183 129 122 7 2.8 2.8 3.8

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 14,807 11,701 3,107 760 549 211 5.1 4.7 6.8

 Production occupations ............................................... 7,612 5,466 2,146 359 222 137 4.7 4.1 6.4

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 7,195 6,235 961 401 328 73 5.6 5.3 7.6

 Black or African American, 16 years and older2 ......... 16,315 7,532 8,783 1,469 491 978 9.0 6.5 11.1

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 4,325 1,592 2,733 161 58 103 3.7 3.6 3.8

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,538 649 889 38 19 19 2.4 2.9 2.1

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 2,787 943 1,844 123 39 84 4.4 4.1 4.6

 Service occupations ...................................................... 3,977 1,532 2,446 630 147 483 15.8 9.6 19.7

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 4,169 1,357 2,811 355 72 284 8.5 5.3 10.1

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 1,582 649 933 207 32 175 13.1 4.9 18.8

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 2,587 709 1,878 148 40 108 5.7 5.6 5.8

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 1,110 1,045 64 67 59 7 6.0 5.7 3 ( )

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 51 45 7 7 7 – 3 ( ) 3 ( ) 3 ( )

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 634 603 32 32 32 – 5.0 5.2 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 424 398 26 28 20 7 6.5 5.1 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 2,714 1,987 727 256 155 101 9.4 7.8 13.9

 Production occupations ............................................... 1,204 746 457 90 35 55 7.5 4.7 12.0

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 1,511 1,241 270 166 120 46 11.0 9.6 17.2

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, 2007 — 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 ......................................... 6,720 3,569 3,152 250 129 121 3.7 3.6 3.8

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 3,187 1,705 1,482 41 23 18 1.3 1.4 1.2

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,110 560 550 12 7 4 1.1 1.3 .8

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 2,077 1,145 932 29 16 13 1.4 1.4 1.4

 Service occupations ...................................................... 1,111 508 603 101 38 63 9.1 7.5 10.4

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 1,446 649 797 61 32 28 4.2 5.0 3.6

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 717 394 324 39 19 21 5.5 4.7 6.4

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 728 255 473 21 14 8 2.9 5.4 1.6

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 305 286 19 15 15 – 5.0 5.4 3 ( )

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 9 7 3 – – – 3 ( ) 3 ( ) 3 ( )

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 150 143 6 9 9 – 6.1 6.4 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 146 136 10 6 6 – 4.3 4.6 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 670 419 250 32 20 12 4.8 4.7 5.0

 Production occupations ............................................... 460 249 211 15 6 9 3.3 2.6 4.1

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 209 170 39 17 13 4 8.2 7.9 3 ( )

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older2 ....... 20,366 12,404 7,963 2,091 1,253 838 10.3 10.1 10.5

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 3,579 1,700 1,879 103 44 59 2.9 2.6 3.2

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,579 866 713 47 30 18 3.0 3.5 2.5

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 2,000 835 1,166 55 14 42 2.8 1.6 3.6

 Service occupations ...................................................... 4,723 2,327 2,396 781 343 437 16.5 14.8 18.3

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 4,336 1,670 2,665 322 95 227 7.4 5.7 8.5

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 1,864 953 911 172 63 109 9.2 6.6 12.0

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 2,472 718 1,754 150 32 118 6.1 4.5 6.7

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 4,074 3,915 159 534 510 24 13.1 13.0 14.8

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 460 363 97 73 60 13 15.9 16.6 13.5

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 2,890 2,850 41 411 401 10 14.2 14.1 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 724 702 22 49 49 1 6.8 7.0 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 3,639 2,777 863 351 260 91 9.6 9.4 10.5

 Production occupations ............................................... 1,910 1,275 635 179 123 56 9.4 9.6 8.9

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 1,729 1,501 228 172 137 34 9.9 9.1 15.1

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 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
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, 2007

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total families At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate 1

 Total primary families ................................................ 65,158 60,989 4,169 6.4

With related children under 18 years ................................ 35,687 32,115 3,572 10.0

Without children ................................................................ 29,471 28,874 597 2.0

With one member in the labor force .................................. 27,510 23,938 3,572 13.0

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 37,647 37,051 596 1.6

 With two members .......................................................... 31,719 31,168 551 1.7

 With three or more members .......................................... 5,928 5,882 46 .8

 Married-couple families ............................................. 49,277 47,567 1,709 3.5

With related children under 18 years ................................ 25,618 24,215 1,403 5.5

Without children ................................................................ 23,658 23,352 306 1.3

With one member in the labor force .................................. 16,516 15,202 1,315 8.0

 Husband .......................................................................... 12,108 11,073 1,035 8.5

 Wife ................................................................................. 3,772 3,555 217 5.8

 Relative ........................................................................... 636 574 62 9.8

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 32,760 32,366 395 1.2

 With two members .......................................................... 27,838 27,473 366 1.3

 With three or more members .......................................... 4,922 4,893 29 .6

 Families maintained by women ................................. 11,408 9,331 2,077 18.2

With related children under 18 years ................................ 7,639 5,754 1,886 24.7

Without children ................................................................ 3,768 3,577 192 5.1

With one member in the labor force .................................. 8,186 6,258 1,928 23.6

 Householder .................................................................... 6,773 5,065 1,708 25.2

 Relative ........................................................................... 1,414 1,193 221 15.6

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 3,222 3,073 149 4.6

 Families maintained by men ..................................... 4,473 4,091 382 8.5

With related children under 18 years ................................ 2,429 2,146 283 11.6

Without children ................................................................ 2,044 1,945 100 4.9

With one member in the labor force .................................. 2,808 2,478 330 11.7

 Householder .................................................................... 2,357 2,082 275 11.7

 Relative ........................................................................... 451 396 55 12.1

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 1,665 1,612 53 3.2

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.

11
Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and work experience, 2007

(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 .................................. 232,995 57,708 58,350 5,849 19,036 14,390 2,260 11,966 5,079 650 5,269 52,439

With labor force activity .................. 159,750 45,541 37,906 1,896 12,557 10,417 552 7,551 4,085 191 3,558 35,496

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 13,183 1,366 3,132 1,134 2,537 785 326 953 219 120 341 2,270

 27 weeks or more ......................... 146,567 44,175 34,774 762 10,020 9,632 227 6,598 3,866 71 3,217 33,226

With no labor force activity ............. 73,244 12,167 20,443 3,953 6,479 3,972 1,707 4,415 994 460 1,711 16,943

At or above poverty level

 All people1 .................................. 207,748 54,886 55,504 5,474 18,175 10,316 1,560 10,114 4,391 546 4,749 42,032

With labor force activity .................. 149,853 43,989 37,197 1,838 12,269 8,148 446 6,886 3,720 178 3,351 31,832

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 10,807 1,227 2,938 1,106 2,445 350 251 752 172 107 294 1,164

 27 weeks or more ......................... 139,046 42,762 34,259 732 9,823 7,797 195 6,134 3,548 71 3,057 30,668

With no labor force activity ............. 57,895 10,897 18,307 3,636 5,907 2,168 1,114 3,228 671 368 1,399 10,200

Below poverty level

 All people1 .................................. 25,247 2,822 2,846 375 860 4,074 700 1,852 688 105 519 10,407

With labor force activity .................. 9,897 1,552 709 58 288 2,270 106 665 365 13 207 3,664

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 2,376 139 193 28 92 435 74 202 47 13 47 1,106

 27 weeks or more ......................... 7,521 1,413 516 30 197 1,835 32 464 318 – 159 2,558

With no labor force activity ............. 15,350 1,270 2,137 317 572 1,804 594 1,187 323 91 312 6,742

Rate 2

 All people1 .................................. 10.8 4.9 4.9 6.4 4.5 28.3 31.0 15.5 13.5 16.1 9.9 19.8

With labor force activity .................. 6.2 3.4 1.9 3.0 2.3 21.8 19.3 8.8 8.9 6.9 5.8 10.3

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 18.0 10.2 6.2 2.4 3.6 55.4 22.9 21.1 21.5 10.7 13.9 48.7

 27 weeks or more ......................... 5.1 3.2 1.5 3.9 2.0 19.0 14.1 7.0 8.2 3 ( ) 5.0 7.7

With no labor force activity ............. 21.0 10.4 10.5 8.0 8.8 45.4 34.8 26.9 32.5 19.9 18.3 39.8

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.

 NOTE: Dash represents or rounds to zero.

12
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, 2007

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate 1

Age and sex

Total unrelated individuals ............................................................................ 33,226 30,668 2,558 7.7

16 to 19 years ................................................................................................... 523 357 166 31.7

20 to 24 years ................................................................................................... 4,453 3,748 705 15.8

25 to 64 years ................................................................................................... 26,523 24,890 1,633 6.2

65 years and older ............................................................................................ 1,728 1,674 54 3.1

Men ................................................................................................................... 18,632 17,265 1,367 7.3

Women ............................................................................................................. 14,594 13,403 1,191 8.2

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White ............................................................................................................... 26,975 24,993 1,981 7.3

 Men ................................................................................................................ 15,284 14,236 1,048 6.9

 Women .......................................................................................................... 11,691 10,758 933 8.0

Black or African American ............................................................................... 4,219 3,854 365 8.7

 Men ................................................................................................................ 2,218 2,005 213 9.6

 Women .......................................................................................................... 2,001 1,849 152 7.6

Asian ................................................................................................................ 1,197 1,107 89 7.5

 Men ................................................................................................................ 640 601 39 6.1

 Women .......................................................................................................... 557 507 50 9.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................... 4,116 3,631 485 11.8

 Men ................................................................................................................ 2,925 2,589 335 11.5

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,191 1,042 149 12.5

Living arrangement

Living alone ...................................................................................................... 17,785 16,816 969 5.5

Living with others .............................................................................................. 15,441 13,852 1,589 10.3

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

labor force for 27 weeks or more.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (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.

13
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, 2007

(Numbers in thousands)

Labor market problems Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate 1

 Total, full-time wage and salary workers ..................................................... 115,342 111,490 3,852 3.3

No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings 2 ........ 95,905 95,217 688 .7

Unemployment only .......................................................................................... 5,690 5,336 354 6.2

Involuntary part-time employment only ............................................................. 2,469 2,409 59 2.4

Low earnings only ............................................................................................. 7,757 6,010 1,747 22.5

Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment .................................... 1,077 973 104 9.7

Unemployment and low earnings ..................................................................... 1,255 776 479 38.2

Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings ........................................ 764 532 232 30.4

Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings ............. 425 236 189 44.5

Unemployment (alone or with other problems) ................................................. 8,448 7,321 1,126 13.3

Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems) ................... 4,736 4,150 585 12.4

Low earnings (alone or with other problems) ................................................... 10,201 7,554 2,647 25.9

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 2007 was $305.17 per week.

14