1

A Profile of the Working

Poor, 2005

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

September 2007

Report 1001

I

 n 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 37.0 million

 people, or 12.6 percent of the population, lived at or below

the official poverty threshold. The majority of the Nation’s

poor were children and adults who had not participated in the

labor force during the year. About 7.7 million of this group

were classified as “working poor”—persons who, during the

year, spent 27 weeks or more in the labor force (working or

looking for work), but whose incomes still fell below the official

poverty level. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began

measuring the working poor in 1987 and has since reported

annually about the demographic and labor force characteristics

of this group. In 2005, persons 16 years and older who were in

the labor force for 27 weeks or more living below poverty

numbered 5.4 percent—little changed from 5.6 percent the

prior year. The 2005 working-poor rate was 0.7 percentage

point higher than its most recent low point of 4.7 percent in

2000. (See tables A and 1 and chart 1.) Additional highlights

from the 2005 data include:

• Full-time workers were less likely to be among the working

poor than were part-time workers. About 3.9 percent of the

118.7 million full-time workers were classified as working poor,

compared with 11.6 percent of the 23.0 million part-time

workers.

• Although working full-time (35 or more hours per week)

substantially lowers a person’s likelihood of being poor, nearly

6 of every 10 of the working poor who held a job during 2005

usually worked full-time.

• As workers achieve higher levels of education, their

likelihood of being classified as working poor decreases. In

2005, the number of college graduates who were in the labor

force for at least 27 weeks counted among the working poor

was 1.7 percent, compared with 14.1 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 including children

under 18 years old were about four times more likely than

those without children to live in poverty or to be among the

working poor.

This report presents data on the relationship between labor

force activity and poverty in 2005 for workers and their families.

The specific income thresholds used to determine poverty

status differed depending on whether the individuals were

living with family members, with nonrelatives, or alone. For

those living with family members, the poverty threshold was

determined by the family’s total income; for individuals not

living in families, personal income was used as the determinant.

The data were collected in the 2006 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 definitions used in this report,

see the Technical Note.

Demographic characteristics

Of all persons in the labor force at least half of the year during

2005, about the same number of women and men were poor

(4.0 million and 3.8 million, respectively). However, the

working-poor rate—the proportion of persons in the labor

force for at least 27 weeks who lived below the poverty level—

was higher for women (6.1 percent) than for men (4.8 percent).

The rates for both women and men were little changed from

the prior year. (See table 2.)

Whites accounted for about 7 in 10 of the working poor in

2005. Blacks and Hispanics had the highest working-poor

rates, 10.5 percent each. The rates for Whites and Asians, at

4.7 percent each, were less than half as high. The likelihood

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

force for 27 weeks or more, 2002–05

(Numbers in thousands)

 Characteristic 2002 2003 2004 2005

Total persons1 ......... 139,728 140,007 140,908 142,824

In poverty ............ 7,359 7,429 7,836 7,744

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

Unrelated

individuals ........... 29,847 29,898 30,694 31,422

In poverty ............ 2,584 2,472 2,742 2,846

Poverty rate ......... 8.7 8.3 8.9 9.1

Primary families2 ..... 63,352 63,567 63,912 64,360

In poverty ............ 3,973 4,167 4,261 4,094

Poverty rate ......... 6.3 6.6 6.7 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 of the year.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

release of January data.

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

Chart 1. Poverty rates of persons in the labor force for 27weeks or more, 1987-2005

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

Percent

of being among the working poor was higher for White women

and Black women than for their male counterparts (5.0 percent

for White women, compared with 4.4 percent for White men

and 13.0 percent for Black women, compared with 7.7 percent

for Black men). Among Asians and Hispanics, men and women

were about equally likely to be among the working poor.

Young workers continued to be more vulnerable to poverty

than their older counterparts. This is due largely to young

people’s lower earnings and higher rates of unemployment.

In 2005, among youth who were in the labor force for 27 weeks

or more, 10.5 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 12.0 percent of

20- to 24-year-olds were living in poverty. This compared to

5.0 percent for workers aged 35 to 44 and 2.7 percent for those

aged 55 to 64 years.

Educational attainment

The likelihood of being among the working poor decreases

greatly as individuals achieve higher levels of education. Of

all people in the labor force for more than half of 2005, those

with less than a high school diploma were the most likely to

be among the working poor (14.1 percent). High school

graduates with no college had a lower working-poor rate—6.6

percent—and college graduates with either an associate’s

degree (3.4 percent) or a bachelor’s degree or higher (1.7

percent) were even less likely to be among the working poor.

Individuals with higher levels of education generally have

greater access to higher paying jobs, such as management,

professional, and related occupations, than those with lower

levels of education. (See table 3.)

However, at almost all levels of educational attainment,

Blacks and Hispanics were more likely to be among the working

poor than were Whites or Asians. Additionally, the incidence

of poverty was higher for Black women than Black men for all

levels of education except for college graduates. Among

college graduates, the working-poor rate for Black women

(2.4 percent) was about the same as the rate for Black men (3.0

percent). For those with less than a high school diploma, the

likelihood of being among the working poor for Black women

(29.4 percent) was nearly twice that for Black men (15.8

percent). Among high school graduates (no college), the gap

narrowed with Black women at 17.0 percent and Black men at

8.5 percent. Within each of the other race groups—Whites,

Asians, and Hispanics—men and women had similar workingpoor rates at most levels of educational attainment.

Occupation

The likelihood of being among the working poor varies widely

by occupation. (Individuals are classified by occupation

based on the job they held the longest during the year.) Those

who had worked in occupations requiring higher levels of

education and offering higher earnings had a lower incidence

of being poor. For example, those employed in management,

professional, and related occupations had the lowest workingpoor rate (1.8 percent). By comparison, workers in service

occupations, which typically do not require higher levels of

education and are characterized by lower average earnings,

had the highest working-poor rate, 10.8 percent. About 6.8

percent of individuals who had worked in natural resources,

construction, and maintenance occupations were classified

as working poor. Within this broad occupational category,

the working-poor rates for those in farming, forestry, and

fishing jobs was 13.7 percent and for those in construction

occupations, 8.1 percent. During 2005, about two-thirds of

the working poor who had been employed at some point

during the year worked in one of the following three

occupational groups: Service occupations; sales and office

occupations; and production, transportation, and material

moving occupations. (See table 4.)

Chart 1. Poverty rate of persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1987–2005
3

Families

In 2005, there were 4.1 million families classified as living below

the poverty level, which had at least one family member in the

labor force for half the year or more—6.4 percent of all such

families—were classified as living below the poverty level.

The incidence of poverty among families was down slightly

from 6.7 percent the previous year. Among families with one

member in the labor force for at least 27 weeks in 2005, marriedcouple families were less likely (8.3 percent) to fall below the

poverty level than either families maintained by women (22.4

percent) or families maintained by men (11.7 percent).

The working-poor rate was higher in families with children

than in those without children. Of all primary families, those

with children under age 18 had a working-poor rate of 9.5

percent; families without children had a working-poor rate of

2.4 percent. Among married-couple families with children, the

proportion classified as working poor was 5.5 percent. Among

families maintained by women with children under age 18, the

working-poor rate was 22.6 percent; for families maintained

by men with children, it was 12.4 percent. (See table 5.)

Unrelated individuals

In 2005, there were 31.4 million unrelated individuals in the

labor force for half the year or longer, and 2.8 million lived

below the poverty level. The unrelated individuals category

includes persons who live by themselves or with others not

related to them. Their working-poor rate was 9.1 percent in

2005, about the same as in 2004 (8.9 percent). (See tables 6

and A.)

In 2005, of the 2.8 million people in the category who lived

below the poverty level, 6 in every 10 lived with at least one

other person. Persons living with unrelated individuals had a

working-poor rate of 12.2 percent, while persons living alone

had a rate of 6.3 percent. (See table 7.) Unrelated individuals

with low incomes often live with others out of necessity. Many

of those who choose to live alone do so because they have

sufficient income to support themselves. Poverty status for

unrelated individuals in either living situation is determined

by each person’s individual resources. However, the pooling

of resources and sharing of expenses may permit some

individuals who are technically classified as poor to live above

the poverty level.

Among all unrelated individuals living alone or with others

not related to them and who were in the labor force for 27

weeks or more, teenagers were those most likely to be working

poor. Their working-poor rate was 37.0 percent, in 2005; this

was about the same as the rates for the previous several years.

The working-poor rate for men who were living alone or with

nonrelatives (8.5 percent) was lower than the rate for women

in similar living situations (9.8 percent). In 2005, the rates for

Hispanics and Blacks were 13.0 percent and 11.8 percent,

respectively, and the rate for Whites was 8.4 percent.

Labor market problems

Persons in the labor force whose income falls below the

poverty threshold have often experienced one or more of the

following three major labor market problems: Unemployment,

low earnings, and involuntary part-time employment. (See

the Technical Note for detailed definitions.) Among those

who participated in the labor force for 27 weeks or longer in

2005 and who usually worked in full-time wage and salary

jobs, 3.9 million, or 3.5 percent, lived below the poverty level.

This proportion was unchanged from the prior year. This

analysis is limited to full-time wage and salary workers. (See

table 8.)

Eight out of every 10 persons among the working poor who

usually worked full time in wage and salary jobs experienced

at least one labor market problem, in 2005. Low earnings

continued to be the most common problem, with about twothirds of full-time wage and salary workers experiencing low

earnings alone or in combination with other labor market

problems. About 1 in 3 experienced unemployment, either

alone or in combination with other labor market problems.

Only 4 percent experienced all three labor market problems—

low earnings, unemployment, and involuntary part-time work.

In 2005, some 772,000 of the working poor, or about 1 in 5,

who usually worked full-time in wage and salary jobs did not

experience any of the three main labor market problems in

2005; that proportion was about the same as the prior year.

Their poverty status may have been associated with other

factors, including short-term employment, some weeks of

voluntary part-time work, or a family structure that increases

the likelihood of poverty.
4

The primary source of data in this report is the 2006 Annual

Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population

Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of 60,000

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

U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect demographic, social,

and economic information about persons 16 years of age and

older. The Annual Social and Economic Supplement is asked

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

entire sample for March, making up a total of 78,000

households. Work experience and income data collected in

the Annual Social and Economic Supplement refer to activity

in the entire prior calendar year.

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

consequently, may differ from figures that would have been

obtained from a complete count using the same questionnaire

and procedures. Sampling variability may be relatively large

in cases where the numbers are small. Thus, small estimates,

or small differences between estimates, should be interpreted

with caution. For a detailed explanation of the Annual Social

and Economic Supplement to the CPS, its sampling variability,

and more extensive definitions than those provided below,

see Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the

United States: 2005, Current Population Reports, series P-60,

no. 231 (U.S. Census Bureau, August 2006). This publication

also is available on the U.S. Census Bureau Web site at

www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p60-231.pdf.

Information in this report will be made available to sensoryimpaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-

5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339. This material is

in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be

reproduced without permission.

For more information on the data provided in this report,

write to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Labor

Force Statistics, Room 4675, 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE,

Washington, DC 20212; e-mail: cpsinfo@bls.gov; or telephone

(202) 691-6378.

Comparability of estimates

The 2005 estimates in this report, which were collected in the

2006 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS, are

not strictly comparable with data for 2004 and earlier years,

because of the introduction in January 2006 of revised

populations controls used in the CPS. For additional

information, see “Adjustments to Household Survey

Population Estimates in January 2006,” in the February 2006

issue of Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet

atwww.bls.gov/cps/cps06adj.pdf.

Concepts and definitions

Poverty classification. Poverty statistics presented in this

report are based on definitions developed by the Social

Security Administration in 1964 and revised by Federal

interagency committees in 1969 and 1981. These definitions

originally were based on the Department of Agriculture’s

Economy Food Plan and reflected the different consumption

requirements of families, based on factors such as family size

and the number of children under 18 years of age.

The actual poverty thresholds vary in accordance with the

makeup of the family. In 2005, the average poverty threshold

for a family of four was $19,971; for a family of nine or more

persons, the threshold was $40,288; and for an unrelated

individual aged 65 or older, it was $9,367. Poverty thresholds

are updated each year to reflect changes in the Consumer

Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). The thresholds

do not vary geographically. For more information, see Income,

Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States:

2005, cited above.

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

1987, represented the average of the real value of the minimum

wage between 1967 and 1987 for a 40-hour workweek. The

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

in which minimum-wage legislation covered essentially the

same broad group of workers that currently is covered. The

low earnings level has subsequently been adjusted each year

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

value that it held in 1987. In 2005, the low earnings threshold

was $287.45 per week. For a more complete definition, see

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

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

Income. Data on income are limited to money income received

in the calendar year preceding the supplement, before personal

income taxes and payroll deductions. They do not include

the value of noncash benefits such as food stamps, Medicare,

Medicaid, public housing, and employer-provided benefits.

For a complete definition of the income concept, see Income,

Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States:

2005, cited above.

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

worked or looked for work sometime during the calendar year

preceding the supplement. The number of weeks in the labor

Technical Note

Source of data
5

force is accumulated over the entire year. The focus in this

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

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

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

of slack work or business conditions, or because they could

not find full-time work. The number of weeks of involuntary

part-time work is accumulated over the year.

Occupation. Refers to the occupation in which a person

worked the most weeks during the calendar year.

Unemployed. Unemployed persons are those who looked for

work while not employed or those who were on layoff from a

job and expecting recall. The number of weeks unemployed is

accumulated over the entire year.

Family. A family is defined as a group of two or more persons

residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or

adoption. The count of families used in this report includes

only primary 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 classified

either as married-couple families or as those maintained by

men or women without spouses present. Family status is

determined at the time of the interview, and, thus, may be

different from that of the previous year.

Unrelated individuals. These are persons who are not living

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

a nonrelated family household, or live in group quarters with

other unrelated individuals.

Related children. Data on related children refer to own

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

children) of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family

and all other children related to the householder by birth,

marriage, or adoption.

Race. White, Black or African American, and Asian are terms

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

are those who selected that race group only. Data for the

remaining race categories—American Indian or Alaska Native,

Native Hawaiian or Other 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 persons

who identified themselves in the CPS enumeration process as

being Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. People whose ethnicity is

identified 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, 2005

(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 ................................................................................ 156,744 142,824 129,293

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 2,422 1,099 958

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 154,322 141,725 128,335

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 123,911 118,696 110,977

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 30,411 23,029 17,358

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 5,018 4,089 3,220

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 25,393 18,940 14,138

At or above poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 146,516 135,080 122,982

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 1,523 635 530

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 144,994 134,445 122,452

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 118,354 114,084 107,072

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 26,640 20,360 15,380

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 3,837 3,137 2,476

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 22,803 17,223 12,904

Below poverty level

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 10,228 7,744 6,311

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 900 464 428

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 9,328 7,280 5,884

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 5,557 4,612 3,905

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 3,772 2,668 1,978

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 1,182 952 743

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 2,590 1,716 1,235

Rate 1

Total in labor force ................................................................................ 6.5 5.4 4.9

 Did not work during the year ............................................................... 37.1 42.2 44.6

 Worked during the year ...................................................................... 6.0 5.1 4.6

 Usual full-time workers ..................................................................... 4.5 3.9 3.5

 Usual part-time workers .................................................................... 12.4 11.6 11.4

 Involuntary part-time workers ......................................................... 23.5 23.3 23.1

 Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................ 10.2 9.1 8.7

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, 2005

(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 .................. 142,824 117,078 16,122 6,290 18,905 7,744 5,477 1,694 298 1,983

16 to 19 years ....................................... 4,192 3,483 511 78 602 438 313 100 8 105

20 to 24 years ....................................... 13,370 10,767 1,704 447 2,347 1,610 1,144 353 50 328

25 to 34 years ....................................... 31,022 24,581 3,914 1,621 5,873 2,138 1,472 516 76 681

35 to 44 years ....................................... 34,779 27,978 4,223 1,782 4,974 1,752 1,268 352 70 557

45 to 54 years ....................................... 34,422 28,688 3,701 1,371 3,311 1,166 804 246 73 196

55 to 64 years ....................................... 19,649 16,851 1,701 787 1,445 532 399 105 13 93

65 years and older ................................ 5,390 4,730 368 205 353 108 77 22 8 22

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 77,329 64,603 7,482 3,396 11,557 3,750 2,846 574 170 1,203

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,082 1,739 246 43 369 182 129 34 7 56

20 to 24 years ....................................... 7,211 5,897 832 245 1,453 727 536 124 32 194

25 to 34 years ....................................... 17,342 14,076 1,826 887 3,807 1,043 804 141 46 457

35 to 44 years ....................................... 19,104 15,738 1,950 976 3,021 891 705 116 40 323

45 to 54 years ....................................... 18,159 15,362 1,708 729 1,879 603 430 115 37 111

55 to 64 years ....................................... 10,400 9,083 753 412 817 244 195 35 7 51

65 years and older ................................ 3,030 2,708 166 104 212 59 47 10 2 12

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 65,495 52,475 8,640 2,894 7,348 3,994 2,631 1,119 128 780

16 to 19 years ....................................... 2,110 1,744 265 35 234 256 184 66 1 50

20 to 24 years ....................................... 6,159 4,870 872 202 894 882 608 230 18 134

25 to 34 years ....................................... 13,680 10,504 2,088 733 2,066 1,095 668 374 30 223

35 to 44 years ....................................... 15,674 12,240 2,272 806 1,953 861 562 236 30 234

45 to 54 years ....................................... 16,263 13,326 1,993 641 1,432 563 375 131 37 86

55 to 64 years ....................................... 9,249 7,768 948 375 628 288 204 70 6 42

65 years and older ................................ 2,360 2,022 202 101 141 49 30 12 6 10

Age and sex

Rate 1

Total White

Black or

African

American

Asian

Hispanic or

Latino

ethnicity

 Total, 16 years and older .................. 5.4 4.7 10.5 4.7 10.5

16 to 19 years ....................................... 10.5 9.0 19.5 9.7 17.5

20 to 24 years ....................................... 12.0 10.6 20.8 11.1 14.0

25 to 34 years ....................................... 6.9 6.0 13.2 4.7 11.6

35 to 44 years ....................................... 5.0 4.5 8.3 3.9 11.2

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.4 2.8 6.6 5.4 5.9

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.7 2.4 6.2 1.7 6.4

65 years and older ................................ 2.0 1.6 6.0 4.1 6.3

 Men, 16 years and older ................... 4.8 4.4 7.7 5.0 10.4

16 to 19 years ....................................... 8.8 7.4 13.8 2 ( ) 15.1

20 to 24 years ....................................... 10.1 9.1 14.9 12.8 13.4

25 to 34 years ....................................... 6.0 5.7 7.7 5.2 12.0

35 to 44 years ....................................... 4.7 4.5 6.0 4.1 10.7

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.3 2.8 6.7 5.0 5.9

55 to 64 years ....................................... 2.3 2.1 4.6 1.6 6.2

65 years and older ................................ 2.0 1.7 5.9 2.2 5.6

 Women, 16 years and older ............. 6.1 5.0 13.0 4.4 10.6

16 to 19 years ....................................... 12.1 10.6 24.9 2 ( ) 21.3

20 to 24 years ....................................... 14.3 12.5 26.4 9.0 15.0

25 to 34 years ....................................... 8.0 6.4 17.9 4.1 10.8

35 to 44 years ....................................... 5.5 4.6 10.4 3.7 12.0

45 to 54 years ....................................... 3.5 2.8 6.6 5.7 6.0

55 to 64 years ....................................... 3.1 2.6 7.4 1.7 6.7

65 years and older ................................ 2.1 1.5 6.1 2 ( ) 7.4

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. In addition, people whose ethnicity is

identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are

classified by ethnicity as well as by race.

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, 2005

(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 ......................... 142,824 77,329 65,495 7,744 3,750 3,994 5.4 4.8 6.1

Less than a high school diploma ................ 15,961 10,136 5,825 2,255 1,277 979 14.1 12.6 16.8

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 5,020 3,494 1,526 801 537 264 16.0 15.4 17.3

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 8,918 5,401 3,517 1,269 643 627 14.2 11.9 17.8

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 2,022 1,241 782 185 97 88 9.1 7.8 11.3

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 42,947 24,154 18,793 2,844 1,343 1,500 6.6 5.6 8.0

Some college or associate degree ............. 41,514 20,570 20,944 1,937 766 1,170 4.7 3.7 5.6

 Some college, no degree ......................... 27,930 14,212 13,718 1,475 594 882 5.3 4.2 6.4

 Associate degree ..................................... 13,583 6,358 7,226 461 173 289 3.4 2.7 4.0

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 42,402 22,469 19,933 708 364 345 1.7 1.6 1.7

 White, 16 years and older ........................ 117,078 64,603 52,475 5,477 2,846 2,631 4.7 4.4 5.0

Less than a high school diploma ................ 12,939 8,495 4,444 1,683 1,023 660 13.0 12.0 14.8

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 4,309 3,073 1,236 678 465 213 15.7 15.1 17.2

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 7,083 4,433 2,651 885 491 394 12.5 11.1 14.9

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 1,547 990 557 120 67 53 7.8 6.8 9.6

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 34,885 19,938 14,947 1,917 978 939 5.5 4.9 6.3

Some college or associate degree ............. 34,111 17,221 16,890 1,349 574 775 4.0 3.3 4.6

 Some college, no degree ......................... 22,643 11,754 10,889 1,026 444 582 4.5 3.8 5.3

 Associate degree ..................................... 11,468 5,467 6,001 323 129 193 2.8 2.4 3.2

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 35,143 18,949 16,194 528 272 257 1.5 1.4 1.6

 Black or African American, 16 years and

older ..................................................... 16,122 7,482 8,640 1,694 574 1,119 10.5 7.7 13.0

Less than a high school diploma ................ 1,956 1,035 922 434 163 271 22.2 15.8 29.4

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 307 194 112 57 32 26 18.7 16.2 22.9

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 1,323 674 649 324 110 214 24.5 16.3 33.0

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 327 166 161 53 22 31 16.1 13.0 19.3

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 5,778 2,898 2,881 736 246 490 12.7 8.5 17.0

Some college or associate degree ............. 5,050 2,151 2,899 435 123 312 8.6 5.7 10.8

 Some college, no degree ......................... 3,698 1,606 2,091 344 97 248 9.3 6.0 11.8

 Associate degree ..................................... 1,352 545 808 91 26 64 6.7 4.9 7.9

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 3,337 1,398 1,938 89 42 47 2.7 3.0 2.4

 Asian, 16 years and older ........................ 6,290 3,396 2,894 298 170 128 4.7 5.0 4.4

Less than a high school diploma ................ 568 303 265 57 36 21 10.0 11.9 7.8

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 255 126 129 31 14 17 12.2 10.8 13.5

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 217 126 91 21 19 2 9.7 15.2 2.1

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 97 51 46 5 3 1 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 4 ( )

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 1,243 690 552 90 59 31 7.3 8.6 5.6

Some college or associate degree ............. 1,208 618 590 73 33 40 6.1 5.4 6.7

 Some college, no degree ......................... 755 409 346 44 23 21 5.9 5.7 6.0

 Associate degree ..................................... 453 209 244 29 10 19 6.4 4.8 7.7

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 3,271 1,785 1,487 78 41 36 2.4 2.3 2.5

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and

older ...................................................... 18,905 11,557 7,348 1,983 1,203 780 10.5 10.4 10.6

Less than a high school diploma ................ 6,651 4,604 2,047 1,099 720 379 16.5 15.6 18.5

 Less than 1 year of high school ............... 3,527 2,526 1,001 615 427 187 17.4 16.9 18.7

 1-3 years of high school .......................... 2,534 1,672 861 417 247 169 16.4 14.8 19.6

 4 years of high school, no diploma .......... 591 406 185 67 45 22 11.4 11.1 12.0

High school graduates, no college 2 ........... 5,747 3,524 2,223 542 319 223 9.4 9.1 10.0

Some college or associate degree ............. 4,141 2,207 1,935 280 129 151 6.8 5.9 7.8

 Some college, no degree ......................... 2,930 1,607 1,322 218 107 111 7.4 6.7 8.4

 Associate degree ..................................... 1,212 599 612 62 22 40 5.2 3.7 6.6

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .................. 2,365 1,222 1,143 62 35 27 2.6 2.9 2.4

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. In addition, people whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or

Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well

as by 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, 2005

(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 .......................................... 141,725 76,686 65,039 7,281 3,487 3,793 5.1 4.5 5.8

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 48,907 24,312 24,595 871 401 471 1.8 1.6 1.9

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 20,816 12,086 8,730 340 192 148 1.6 1.6 1.7

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 28,091 12,226 15,866 532 209 322 1.9 1.7 2.0

 Service occupations ...................................................... 23,128 10,109 13,019 2,464 877 1,587 10.7 8.7 12.2

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 35,586 13,045 22,541 1,743 442 1,301 4.9 3.4 5.8

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 16,129 8,232 7,897 1,041 276 765 6.5 3.4 9.7

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 19,457 4,812 14,645 702 167 536 3.6 3.5 3.7

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 15,767 15,108 660 1,051 1,002 50 6.7 6.6 7.5

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 1,002 797 204 140 117 23 13.9 14.7 11.1

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 9,535 9,299 237 756 731 25 7.9 7.9 10.4

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 5,231 5,012 219 156 154 2 3.0 3.1 1.0

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 18,229 14,020 4,209 1,150 765 385 6.3 5.5 9.2

 Production occupations ............................................... 9,610 6,664 2,946 556 316 240 5.8 4.7 8.1

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 8,619 7,355 1,263 594 449 146 6.9 6.1 11.5

 White, 16 years and older2 ......................................... 116,393 64,181 52,212 5,213 2,681 2,532 4.5 4.2 4.8

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 41,006 20,749 20,257 642 296 346 1.6 1.4 1.7

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 18,005 10,716 7,289 268 149 119 1.5 1.4 1.6

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 23,001 10,033 12,968 374 147 227 1.6 1.5 1.7

 Service occupations ...................................................... 17,541 7,705 9,836 1,652 607 1,045 9.4 7.9 10.6

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 29,456 11,049 18,408 1,202 354 848 4.1 3.2 4.6

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 13,731 7,255 6,475 729 215 514 5.3 3.0 7.9

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 15,725 3,793 11,932 473 139 334 3.0 3.7 2.8

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 13,869 13,340 529 886 840 46 6.4 6.3 8.7

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 886 712 174 122 99 23 13.7 13.9 13.1

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 8,424 8,229 195 631 610 21 7.5 7.4 10.7

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 4,559 4,400 160 133 131 2 2.9 3.0 1.4

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 14,433 11,260 3,173 830 584 246 5.8 5.2 7.8

 Production occupations ............................................... 7,669 5,437 2,231 420 267 153 5.5 4.9 6.8

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 6,765 5,823 942 410 316 94 6.1 5.4 10.0

 Black or African American, 16 years and older2 ......... 15,786 7,315 8,470 1,516 493 1,023 9.6 6.7 12.1

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 4,152 1,552 2,600 134 47 87 3.2 3.0 3.3

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,521 653 868 38 20 18 2.5 3.1 2.0

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 2,632 899 1,732 96 27 69 3.7 3.0 4.0

 Service occupations ...................................................... 3,818 1,563 2,255 628 163 465 16.4 10.4 20.6

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 4,022 1,183 2,839 414 58 355 10.3 4.9 12.5

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 1,386 485 901 238 39 199 17.2 8.0 22.1

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 2,636 698 1,938 176 19 157 6.7 2.8 8.1

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 1,130 1,051 79 96 95 1 8.5 9.0 3 ( )

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 57 40 18 13 13 – 3 ( ) 3 ( ) 3 ( )

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 686 670 16 74 73 1 10.8 10.9 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 386 341 45 9 9 – 2.4 2.7 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 2,650 1,957 693 244 130 115 9.2 6.6 16.5

 Production occupations ............................................... 1,221 779 442 96 27 69 7.9 3.5 15.5

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 1,429 1,178 250 148 102 46 10.4 8.7 18.4

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, 2005 — 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 ......................................... 6,243 3,362 2,882 288 162 126 4.6 4.8 4.4

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 2,842 1,575 1,267 58 34 24 2.1 2.1 1.9

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 947 535 412 16 10 6 1.7 1.9 1.4

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 1,895 1,040 855 42 24 19 2.2 2.3 2.2

 Service occupations ...................................................... 1,095 514 581 103 64 39 9.4 12.4 6.8

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 1,338 547 791 69 19 50 5.2 3.5 6.3

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 686 346 340 38 15 23 5.6 4.5 6.7

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 652 201 450 31 4 27 4.7 1.9 6.0

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 313 282 31 23 23 – 7.2 8.0 3 ( )

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 27 20 7 2 2 – 3 ( ) 3 ( ) 3 ( )

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 125 112 12 11 11 – 8.9 9.9 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 161 150 11 9 9 – 5.9 6.3 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 651 438 213 35 22 12 5.4 5.1 5.9

 Production occupations ............................................... 460 268 193 21 9 12 4.6 3.2 6.5

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 190 170 20 14 14 – 7.3 8.1 3 ( )

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older2 ....... 18,748 11,467 7,282 1,900 1,156 743 10.1 10.1 10.2

 Management, professional, and related occupations .... 3,111 1,477 1,634 100 56 44 3.2 3.8 2.7

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .............................................................. 1,346 732 614 38 23 15 2.8 3.1 2.4

 Professional and related occupations .......................... 1,765 745 1,020 62 33 29 3.5 4.5 2.8

 Service occupations ...................................................... 4,499 2,305 2,194 674 319 354 15.0 13.9 16.1

 Sales and office occupations ......................................... 3,932 1,594 2,338 283 83 199 7.2 5.2 8.5

 Sales and related occupations .................................... 1,752 861 890 174 49 125 9.9 5.6 14.0

 Office and administrative support occupations ............ 2,180 733 1,447 109 34 74 5.0 4.7 5.1

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations .............................................................. 3,736 3,566 170 477 456 21 12.8 12.8 12.6

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................. 400 318 82 75 62 13 18.7 19.6 15.3

 Construction and extraction occupations ..................... 2,646 2,580 67 336 328 7 12.7 12.7 3 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...... 690 668 21 66 65 2 9.6 9.7 3 ( )

 Production, transportation, and material-moving

occupations .............................................................. 3,464 2,518 946 366 242 124 10.6 9.6 13.1

 Production occupations ............................................... 1,940 1,256 684 213 132 81 11.0 10.5 11.8

 Transportation and material-moving occupations ........ 1,524 1,263 262 153 110 44 10.1 8.7 16.7

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, 2005

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total families At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate 1

 Total primary families ................................................ 64,360 60,266 4,094 6.4

With related children under 18 years ................................ 36,075 32,658 3,417 9.5

Without children ................................................................ 28,285 27,608 676 2.4

With one member in the labor force .................................. 27,498 24,003 3,494 12.7

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 36,862 36,263 600 1.6

 With two members .......................................................... 31,025 30,481 544 1.8

 With three or more members .......................................... 5,837 5,782 55 1.0

 Married-couple families ............................................. 48,899 47,111 1,787 3.7

With related children under 18 years ................................ 26,287 24,846 1,441 5.5

Without children ................................................................ 22,612 22,265 347 1.5

With one member in the labor force .................................. 16,772 15,377 1,394 8.3

 Husband .......................................................................... 12,451 11,372 1,079 8.7

 Wife ................................................................................. 3,665 3,405 260 7.1

 Relative ........................................................................... 655 600 55 8.4

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 32,127 31,734 393 1.2

 With two members .......................................................... 27,270 26,911 359 1.3

 With three or more members .......................................... 4,857 4,823 34 .7

 Families maintained by women ................................. 10,966 9,041 1,925 17.6

With related children under 18 years ................................ 7,461 5,772 1,689 22.6

Without children ................................................................ 3,505 3,269 236 6.7

With one member in the labor force .................................. 7,924 6,151 1,773 22.4

 Householder .................................................................... 6,597 5,060 1,537 23.3

 Relative ........................................................................... 1,326 1,090 236 17.8

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 3,042 2,890 152 5.0

 Families maintained by men ..................................... 4,496 4,114 382 8.5

With related children under 18 years ................................ 2,328 2,040 288 12.4

Without children ................................................................ 2,168 2,074 94 4.3

With one member in the labor force .................................. 2,802 2,475 327 11.7

 Householder .................................................................... 2,287 2,013 274 12.0

 Relative ........................................................................... 515 462 53 10.3

With two or more members in the labor force ................... 1,693 1,639 55 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, 2005

(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 .................................. 227,975 57,518 58,128 5,810 18,010 14,076 2,128 11,256 5,107 573 5,346 50,023

With labor force activity .................. 156,744 45,406 37,426 2,089 12,318 10,122 608 7,246 4,060 168 3,695 33,606

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 13,920 1,490 3,320 1,217 2,716 842 383 1,038 235 109 388 2,183

 27 weeks or more ......................... 142,824 43,916 34,106 873 9,601 9,281 226 6,208 3,825 60 3,307 31,422

With no labor force activity ............. 71,231 12,112 20,702 3,721 5,692 3,954 1,519 4,010 1,047 405 1,651 16,417

At or above poverty level

 All people1 .................................. 202,671 54,623 55,188 5,448 17,256 10,043 1,492 9,363 4,443 492 4,871 39,452

With labor force activity .................. 146,516 43,799 36,586 2,038 12,060 7,909 492 6,579 3,675 151 3,522 29,707

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 11,436 1,340 3,078 1,187 2,638 295 307 841 172 94 354 1,130

 27 weeks or more ......................... 135,080 42,459 33,508 851 9,422 7,614 185 5,738 3,503 57 3,168 28,576

With no labor force activity ............. 56,155 10,825 18,602 3,410 5,195 2,134 1,000 2,784 769 341 1,349 9,745

Below poverty level

 All people1 .................................. 25,304 2,895 2,940 362 754 4,033 636 1,893 663 82 476 10,571

With labor force activity .................. 10,228 1,607 840 51 257 2,213 117 667 385 18 173 3,899

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 2,484 150 242 29 78 547 76 196 63 15 34 1,053

 27 weeks or more ......................... 7,744 1,457 598 22 179 1,666 40 470 322 3 139 2,846

With no labor force activity ............. 15,076 1,287 2,100 311 497 1,820 519 1,226 278 64 303 6,672

Rate 2

 All people1 .................................. 11.1 5.0 5.1 6.2 4.2 28.7 29.9 16.8 13.0 14.3 8.9 21.1

With labor force activity .................. 6.5 3.5 2.2 2.5 2.1 21.9 19.2 9.2 9.5 10.6 4.7 11.6

 1 to 26 weeks ............................... 17.8 10.1 7.3 2.4 2.9 65.0 19.9 18.9 26.8 13.7 8.7 48.2

 27 weeks or more ......................... 5.4 3.3 1.8 2.5 1.9 18.0 17.9 7.6 8.4 3 ( ) 4.2 9.1

With no labor force activity ............. 21.2 10.6 10.1 8.4 8.7 46.0 34.2 30.6 26.6 15.8 18.3 40.6

1 Data on families include people in primary families and unrelated subfamilies. 2 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total. 3 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.

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, 2005

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate 1

Age and sex

Total unrelated individuals ............................................................................ 31,422 28,576 2,846 9.1

16 to 19 years ................................................................................................... 537 338 199 37.0

20 to 24 years ................................................................................................... 4,311 3,423 888 20.6

25 to 64 years ................................................................................................... 24,992 23,275 1,717 6.9

65 years and older ............................................................................................ 1,583 1,541 42 2.7

Men ................................................................................................................... 17,586 16,097 1,489 8.5

Women ............................................................................................................. 13,836 12,479 1,357 9.8

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White ............................................................................................................... 25,346 23,205 2,140 8.4

 Men ................................................................................................................ 14,333 13,215 1,118 7.8

 Women .......................................................................................................... 11,013 9,991 1,022 9.3

Black or African American ............................................................................... 4,106 3,620 486 11.8

 Men ................................................................................................................ 2,143 1,906 236 11.0

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,963 1,714 249 12.7

Asian ................................................................................................................ 1,159 1,051 108 9.3

 Men ................................................................................................................ 637 578 59 9.3

 Women .......................................................................................................... 522 474 49 9.3

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................... 3,588 3,120 467 13.0

 Men ................................................................................................................ 2,546 2,241 304 12.0

 Women .......................................................................................................... 1,042 879 163 15.6

Living arrangement

Living alone ...................................................................................................... 16,731 15,683 1,047 6.3

Living with others .............................................................................................. 14,691 12,893 1,798 12.2

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. In addition, people whose ethnicity is

identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore,

are classified by ethnicity as well as by 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, 2005

(Numbers in thousands)

Labor market problems Total At or above

poverty level

Below poverty

level Rate 1

 Total, full-time wage and salary workers ..................................................... 111,556 107,657 3,899 3.5

No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings 2 ........ 93,417 92,645 772 .8

Unemployment only .......................................................................................... 5,647 5,223 424 7.5

Involuntary part-time employment only ............................................................. 2,333 2,272 61 2.6

Low earnings only ............................................................................................. 7,181 5,489 1,692 23.6

Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment .................................... 825 739 86 10.4

Unemployment and low earnings ..................................................................... 1,220 721 499 40.9

Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings ........................................ 567 362 204 36.0

Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings ............. 367 206 160 43.8

Unemployment (alone or with other problems) ................................................. 8,058 6,888 1,169 14.5

Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems) ................... 4,091 3,580 511 12.5

Low earnings (alone or with other problems) ................................................... 9,334 6,778 2,556 27.4

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 2005 was $287.45 per week.

14