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A profile of the working poor, 2018

About 38.1 million people, or 11.8 percent of the nation’s population, lived 

below the official poverty level in 2018, according to the U.S. Census 

Bureau.[1] (See the technical notes section for examples of poverty 

levels.) Although the poor were primarily adults who had not participated in 

the labor force during the year and children, 7.0 million individuals were 

among the “working poor” in 2018, according to data from the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics (BLS); this measure was little changed from 6.9 million in 

2017. The working poor are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the 

labor force (that is, working or looking for work) but whose incomes still fell 

below the official poverty level. In 2018, the working-poor rate—the ratio of 

the working poor to all individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks—was 4.5 percent, unchanged from the 

previous year’s figure. (See table A, chart 1, and table 1.)

Following are some highlights from the 2018 data:

The working-poor rate of people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more was 4.5 percent. This matches last year’s 

rate, the lowest rate in the history of the series, which began in 1986. (See chart 1.)

Full-time workers continued to be much less likely to be among the working poor than part-time workers. Among 

people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2.8 percent of those usually employed full time were classified as 

working poor, compared with 11.1 percent of part-time workers. (See table 1.)

Women were more likely than men to be among the working poor (5.3 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively). In 

addition, Blacks or African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos continued to be much more likely than Whites and 

Asians to be among the working poor.2 (See table 2.)

The likelihood of being classified as working poor diminishes as workers attain higher levels of education. Among 

those with less than a high school diploma, 13.5 percent of those who were in the labor force for at least 27 

weeks were classified as working poor, compared with 1.4 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree and higher. 

(See table 3.)

Individuals who were employed in service occupations continued to be more likely to be among the working poor 

than those employed in other major occupational groups. (See table 4.)

Among families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, those with children under 18 

years old were over 5 times as likely as those without children to live in poverty. Families maintained by women 

were more than twice as likely as families maintained by men to be living below the poverty level. (See table 5.)

July 2020 | Report 1087

Characteristic 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Table A. Poverty status of people and primary families in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2008–

18 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
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[1] Includes individuals in families, not shown separately.

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).

This report presents data on the relationship between labor force activity and poverty status in 2018 for workers 

and their families. These data were collected in the 2019 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current 

Population Survey. (For a detailed description of the source of the data and an explanation of the concepts and 

definitions used in the report, see the technical notes.) The specific income thresholds used to determine people’s 

poverty status vary, depending on whether the individuals are living with family members, living alone, or living 

with nonrelatives. For people living with family members, the poverty threshold is determined by their family’s total 

income; for individuals not living in families, their personal income is used as the determinant.

Characteristic 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Total in the 

labor force 

[1]

147,838 147,902 146,859 147,475 148,735 149,483 150,319 152,230 153,364 154,762 156,454

In 

poverty 8,883 10,391 10,512 10,382 10,612 10,450 9,487 8,560 7,572 6,946 6,964

Working 

poor rate 6.0 7.0 7.2 7.0 7.1 7.0 6.3 5.6 4.9 4.5 4.5

Unrelated 

individuals 32,785 33,798 34,099 33,731 34,810 35,061 35,018 35,953 35,789 36,959 37,082

In 

poverty 3,275 3,947 3,947 3,621 3,851 4,141 3,395 3,137 2,792 2,524 2,684

Working 

poor rate 10.0 11.7 11.6 10.7 11.1 11.8 9.7 8.7 7.8 6.8 7.2

Primary 

families [2] 65,907 65,467 64,931 66,225 66,541 66,462 66,732 67,193 67,628 67,588 68,099

In 

poverty 4,538 5,193 5,269 5,469 5,478 5,137 5,108 4,607 4,082 3,854 3,628

Working 

poor rate 6.9 7.9 8.1 8.3 8.2 7.7 7.7 6.9 6.0 5.7 5.3

Table A. Poverty status of people and primary families in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2008–

18 (Numbers in thousands)
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Demographic characteristics

Among those who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2018, the number of women classified as 

working poor (3.9 million) was higher than that of men (3.1 million). The working-poor rate also continued to be 

higher for women (5.3 percent) than for men (3.7 percent). The working-poor rates for both women and men 

showed little or no change from a year earlier. (See table 2.)

Hispanics and Blacks were much more likely than Whites and Asians to be among the working poor. In 2018, the 

working-poor rates for Hispanics and Blacks were 7.9 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively, compared with 3.9 

percent for Whites and 3.2 percent for Asians. (See table 2 and chart 2.)
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Among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, the working-poor rate was higher for women than for men. The rates for 

White women and White men who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force were 4.5 percent and 3.4 percent, 

respectively. The rate for Black women was 9.7 percent, compared with 5.7 percent for Black men. The workingpoor rate for Black women, while little changed compared with the prior year, was below 10.0 percent for the first 

time in the history of the series (which began in 1986). In 2018, the working-poor rate for Hispanic women was 

8.7 percent, while the rate for Hispanic men was 7.2 percent. Among Asians, the rates for women and men were 

little different from each other, at 3.1 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively.

Young workers are more likely to be poor than are workers in older age groups, in part because earnings are 

lower for young workers and the unemployment rate for young workers is higher. Among youths who were in the 

labor force for 27 weeks or more, 9.3 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 7.7 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds were 

living in poverty in 2018. Those rates were higher than the rates for workers ages 25 to 34 (5.4 percent) and 

those ages 35 to 44 (5.1 percent). Workers ages 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and 65 and older had lower working-poor 

rates—3.3 percent, 2.5 percent, and 2.0 percent, respectively—than did those in younger age groups. (See table 

2.)

Educational attainment

Achieving higher levels of education reduces the incidence of living in poverty. People who complete more years 

of education usually have greater access to higher paying jobs—such as management, professional, and related 

occupations—than those with fewer years of education. Among people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 

2018, those with less than a high school diploma had the highest working-poor rate, at 13.5 percent, while those 
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with a bachelor’s degree or higher had the lowest, at 1.4 percent. Even though women were more likely than men 

to be among the working poor at all levels of educational attainment, the gap in their working-poor rates narrowed 

at higher levels of education. (See table 3.)

 For people with a bachelor’s degree and higher, Hispanics (3.1 percent) were more likely to be among the 

working poor than were Blacks (1.9 percent), Asians (1.7 percent), and Whites (1.3 percent). For all race and 

ethnicity groups, working-poor rates were much higher for those with less than a high school diploma: 12.8 

percent for Whites, 17.7 percent for Blacks, 10.8 percent for Asians, and 14.5 percent for Hispanics.

Occupation

The likelihood of being among the working poor varies widely by occupation. Workers in occupations requiring 

higher education and characterized by relatively high earnings—such as management, professional, and related 

occupations—were least likely to be classified as working poor. For example, 1.5 percent of those in 

management, professional, and related occupations were among the working poor in 2018. By contrast, 

individuals employed in occupations that typically do not require high levels of education and that are 

characterized by relatively low earnings were more likely to be among the working poor. For instance, 9.4 percent 

of service workers who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks were classified as working poor in 2018. The 

2.5 million working poor employed in service occupations accounted for about two-fifths of all those classified as 

working poor. (See table 4.)

The working-poor rate for women was higher than that for men in all major occupational groups in 2018. For both 

men (1.3 percent) and women (1.6 percent), working-poor rates were lowest in management, professional, and 

related occupations.

Families

In 2018, 3.6 million families were living below the poverty level despite having at least one member in the labor 

force for half the year or more. This figure was down from 3.9 million in 2017. Among families with only one 

member in the labor force for at least 27 weeks in 2018, married-couple families were less likely to be living below 

the poverty level, at 6.5 percent, than were families maintained by women, at 20.5 percent, or families maintained 

by men, at 10.6 percent. (See table 5.)

Among families with at least one member in the labor force for more than half the year, those with children in the 

household were much more likely to live below the poverty level than those without children. The proportion of 

families with children under age 18 who lived in poverty was 8.9 percent, compared with 1.7 percent for families 

without children. Among families with children under 18, the working-poor rate for those maintained by women 

(22.0 percent) was higher than that for those maintained by men (10.8 percent). Married-couple families with 

children under 18 had a working-poor rate of 4.7 percent in 2018.

Unrelated individuals

The “unrelated individuals” category includes individuals who live by themselves or with others not related to 

them. Of the 37.1 million unrelated individuals who were in the labor force for half the year or longer, 2.7 million 

lived below the poverty level in 2018, little changed from a year earlier. The working-poor rate for unrelated 
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individuals who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more was 7.2 percent, an increase of 0.4 percentage point 

from last year’s figure. (See table 6.)

Within the group of unrelated individuals, teenagers continued to be the most likely to be among the working poor. 

In 2018, 37.5 percent of teens (ages 16 to 19) who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more and who lived on 

their own or with others not related to them lived below the poverty level. Overall, the working-poor rate for men 

living alone or with nonrelatives was 6.3 percent, and the rate for women was 8.3 percent. The working-poor rates 

for unrelated individuals were higher for Hispanics (10.4 percent) and Blacks (10.2 percent) than for Whites (6.6 

percent) and Asians (5.8 percent). (See table 7.)

Of the 2.7 million unrelated individuals considered to be among the working poor in 2018, about 3 out of 5 lived 

with others. These individuals had a higher working-poor rate than individuals who lived alone. Many unrelated 

individuals living below the poverty level may live with others out of necessity. By contrast, many of those who live 

alone do so because they have sufficient income to support themselves. Unrelated individuals’ poverty status, 

however, is determined by each person’s resources. The pooling of resources and sharing of living expenses may 

permit some individuals in this category—who are technically classified as poor—to live at a higher standard than 

they would have if they lived alone.

Labor market problems

As noted earlier, people who usually work full time are less likely to live in poverty than are those who work part 

time, yet there remains a sizable group of full-time workers who live below the poverty threshold. Among those 

who participated in the labor force for 27 weeks or more and usually worked in full-time wage and salary jobs, 3.3 

million, or 2.6 percent, were classified as working poor in 2018, little changed from last year’s figure. (See table 

8.)

There are three major labor market problems that can hinder a worker’s ability to earn an income that is above 

the poverty threshold: low earnings, periods of unemployment, and involuntary part-time employment. (See the 

technical notes section for detailed definitions.)

In 2018, 78 percent of the working poor who usually work full time experienced at least one of the major labor 

market problems. Low earnings continued to be the most common problem, with 66 percent subject to low 

earnings, either as the only problem or in combination with other labor market problems. About 24 percent 

experienced unemployment as the main labor market problem or in conjunction with other problems. Four percent 

of the working poor experienced all three problems: low earnings, unemployment, and involuntary part-time 

employment. (See table 8.)

Some 714,000, or 22 percent, of the working poor who usually worked full time did not experience any of the 

three primary labor market problems in 2018. Their classification as working poor may be explained by other 

factors, including short-term employment, some weeks of voluntary part-time work, or a family structure that 

increases the risk of poverty.
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Notes

(1) “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2017,” Current Population Reports, P60-263 (U.S. Census Bureau, 

September 2018), table 3, https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/demo/

p60-263.pdf.

(2) People of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.
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Statistical Tables

Poverty status and work experience Total in labor force

27 weeks or more in labor force

Total 50 to 52 weeks

TOTAL, 16 YEARS AND OLDER

Total in the labor force 168,617 156,454 142,870

 Did not work during the year 2,215 1,053 881

 Worked during the year 166,402 155,401 141,990

Usual full-time workers 134,458 130,045 122,333

Usual part-time workers 31,944 25,356 19,657

Involuntary part-time workers 5,709 4,875 3,971

Voluntary part-time workers 26,236 20,481 15,686

At or above poverty level

Total in the labor force 159,557 149,490 137,067

 Did not work during the year 1,359 595 498

 Worked during the year 158,198 148,896 136,569

Usual full-time workers 130,059 126,342 119,079

Usual part-time workers 28,140 22,554 17,489

Involuntary part-time workers 4,570 3,949 3,184

Voluntary part-time workers 23,569 18,605 14,305

Below poverty level

Total in the labor force 9,060 6,964 5,804

 Did not work during the year 857 458 383

 Worked during the year 8,204 6,505 5,421

Usual full-time workers 4,399 3,703 3,253

Usual part-time workers 3,804 2,802 2,168

Involuntary part-time workers 1,138 926 786

Voluntary part-time workers 2,666 1,876 1,381

RATE[1]

Total in the labor force 5.4 4.5 4.1

 Did not work during the year 38.7 43.5 43.5

 Worked during the year 4.9 4.2 3.8

Table 1. People in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
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[1]Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Poverty status and work experience Total in labor force

27 weeks or more in labor force

Total 50 to 52 weeks

Usual full-time workers 3.3 2.8 2.7

Usual part-time workers 11.9 11.1 11.0

Involuntary part-time workers 19.9 19.0 19.8

Voluntary part-time workers 10.2 9.2 8.8

Table 1. People in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

Age and gender

Total Below poverty level Rate[1]

Total White

Black or African 

American

Asian

Hispanic or 

Latino

Total White

Black or African 

American

Asian

Hispanic or 

Latino

TotalWhite

Black or African 

American

Asian

Hispanic or 

Latino

Total, 16 years 

and older 156,454 121,723 19,521 10,003 27,278 6,964 4,758 1,531 321 2,147 4.5 3.9 7.8 3.2 7.9

 16 to 19 

years

3,598 2,824 378 145 811 335 248 47 6 108 9.3 8.8 12.4 3.8 13.3

 20 to 24 

years

13,209 10,139 1,809 597 3,103 1,014 736 166 46 268 7.7 7.3 9.2 7.7 8.6

 25 to 34 

years

35,957 26,764 5,150 2,519 7,229 1,948 1,174 593 77 555 5.4 4.4 11.5 3.1 7.7

 35 to 44 

years

33,013 25,031 4,305 2,546 6,629 1,683 1,141 364 93 629 5.1 4.6 8.5 3.7 9.5

 45 to 54 

years

32,524 25,355 4,047 2,204 5,443 1,071 789 199 51 391 3.3 3.1 4.9 2.3 7.2

 55 to 64 

years

27,352 22,452 2,900 1,470 3,220 696 498 139 35 147 2.5 2.2 4.8 2.4 4.6

 65 years 

and older 10,801 9,159 933 523 843 215 173 24 14 49 2.0 1.9 2.5 2.6 5.8

Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2018 (Numbers in 

thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
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Age and gender

Total Below poverty level Rate[1]

Total White

Black or African 

American

Asian

Hispanic or 

Latino

Total White

Black or African 

American

Asian

Hispanic or 

Latino

TotalWhite

Black or African 

American

Asian

Hispanic or 

Latino

Men, 16 years 

and older 83,072 65,970 9,097 5,350 15,514 3,099 2,250 519 179 1,119 3.7 3.4 5.7 3.3 7.2

 16 to 19 

years

1,693 1,372 149 69 408 156 121 22 1 51 9.2 8.8 14.6 - 12.5

 20 to 24 

years

6,749 5,249 843 314 1,684 420 325 51 27 121 6.2 6.2 6.1 8.5 7.2

 25 to 34 

years

19,482 14,742 2,540 1,421 4,208 783 534 163 50 274 4.0 3.6 6.4 3.6 6.5

 35 to 44 

years

17,843 13,919 1,974 1,362 3,862 813 581 125 50 348 4.6 4.2 6.3 3.7 9.0

 45 to 54 

years

17,094 13,555 1,902 1,148 3,035 503 374 89 25 225 2.9 2.8 4.7 2.2 7.4

 55 to 64 

years

14,302 11,987 1,294 761 1,841 332 240 64 18 75 2.3 2.0 5.0 2.4 4.1

 65 years 

and older 5,910 5,147 395 276 477 92 74 6 7 26 1.6 1.4 1.6 2.5 5.4

Women, 16 

years and 

older

73,382 55,752 10,423 4,653 11,764 3,865 2,508 1,012 143 1,028 5.3 4.5 9.7 3.1 8.7

 16 to 19 

years

1,906 1,452 228 76 403 179 126 25 4 57 9.4 8.7 11.0 5.7 14.1

 20 to 24 

years

6,460 4,890 966 284 1,419 594 411 115 19 147 9.2 8.4 11.9 6.8 10.4

 25 to 34 

years

16,475 12,023 2,610 1,098 3,021 1,165 640 430 27 281 7.1 5.3 16.5 2.4 9.3

 35 to 44 

years

15,169 11,112 2,330 1,184 2,767 870 559 239 43 281 5.7 5.0 10.3 3.6 10.2

 45 to 54 

years

15,431 11,799 2,145 1,056 2,408 568 415 110 26 166 3.7 3.5 5.1 2.5 6.9

 55 to 64 

years

13,050 10,465 1,605 709 1,379 364 258 74 17 72 2.8 2.5 4.6 2.4 5.2

Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2018 (Numbers in 

thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
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[1]Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may 

be of any race. Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Age and gender

Total Below poverty level Rate[1]

Total White

Black or African 

American

Asian

Hispanic or 

Latino

Total White

Black or African 

American

Asian

Hispanic or 

Latino

TotalWhite

Black or African 

American

Asian

Hispanic or 

Latino

 65 years 

and older 4,891 4,012 539 247 366 124 99 17 7 23 2.5 2.5 3.2 2.7 6.3

Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2018 (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 156,454 83,072 73,382 6,964 3,099 3,865 4.5 3.7 5.3

 Less than a high school diploma 11,858 7,402 4,456 1,598 866 731 13.5 11.7 16.4

 Less than 1 year of high school 3,711 2,497 1,215 508 299 209 13.7 12.0 17.2

 1–3 years of high school 6,347 3,794 2,552 899 453 446 14.2 11.9 17.5

 4 years of high school, no diploma 1,800 1,111 689 191 115 76 10.6 10.3 11.1

 High school graduates, no college [2] 40,705 24,034 16,671 2,604 1,164 1,440 6.4 4.8 8.6

 Some college or associate's degree 43,303 21,673 21,631 1,888 680 1,208 4.4 3.1 5.6

 Some college, no degree 26,627 13,786 12,841 1,336 460 877 5.0 3.3 6.8

 Associate's degree 16,677 7,887 8,790 552 220 331 3.3 2.8 3.8

 Bachelor's degree and higher [3] 60,588 29,964 30,624 874 388 486 1.4 1.3 1.6

White, 16 years and older 121,723 65,970 55,752 4,758 2,250 2,508 3.9 3.4 4.5

 Less than a high school diploma 9,292 5,999 3,293 1,185 676 509 12.8 11.3 15.5

 Less than 1 year of high school 3,087 2,131 956 422 249 174 13.7 11.7 18.2

 1–3 years of high school 4,876 3,022 1,854 626 342 284 12.8 11.3 15.3

 4 years of high school, no diploma 1,329 846 483 137 85 51 10.3 10.1 10.6

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

2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
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Educational attainment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate[1]

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 High school graduates, no college [2] 31,615 19,074 12,542 1,673 801 872 5.3 4.2 7.0

 Some college or associate's degree 33,663 17,258 16,405 1,269 482 787 3.8 2.8 4.8

 Some college, no degree 20,411 10,908 9,503 892 328 563 4.4 3.0 5.9

 Associate's degree 13,252 6,350 6,902 377 154 224 2.8 2.4 3.2

 Bachelor's degree and higher [3] 47,153 23,640 23,513 631 291 340 1.3 1.2 1.4

Black or African American, 16 years and older 19,521 9,097 10,423 1,531 519 1,012 7.8 5.7 9.7

 Less than a high school diploma 1,455 749 706 258 110 148 17.7 14.7 20.9

 Less than 1 year of high school 254 127 127 29 17 12 11.5 13.4 9.6

 1–3 years of high school 890 455 435 186 72 114 20.9 15.9 26.2

 4 years of high school, no diploma 311 167 144 43 21 21 13.7 12.7 14.9

 High school graduates, no college [2] 6,028 3,224 2,804 736 267 469 12.2 8.3 16.7

 Some college or associate's degree 6,238 2,709 3,529 425 109 317 6.8 4.0 9.0

 Some college, no degree 4,054 1,753 2,301 287 64 222 7.1 3.7 9.7

 Associate's degree 2,184 956 1,228 139 44 94 6.4 4.7 7.7

 Bachelor's degree and higher [3] 5,800 2,415 3,385 111 33 78 1.9 1.4 2.3

Asian, 16 years and older 10,003 5,350 4,653 321 179 143 3.2 3.3 3.1

 Less than a high school diploma 527 284 243 57 31 26 10.8 11.0 10.6

 Less than 1 year of high school 215 119 96 33 18 15 15.2 14.8 15.7

 1–3 years of high school 234 114 121 17 8 9 7.1 6.9 7.2

 4 years of high school, no diploma 78 51 27 8 6 2 10.2 - -

 High school graduates, no college [2] 1,524 835 688 82 42 40 5.4 5.0 5.9

 Some college or associate's degree 1,698 912 786 78 52 26 4.6 5.7 3.4

 Some college, no degree 1,032 585 447 65 42 23 6.3 7.1 5.3

 Associate's degree 667 327 339 13 10 3 2.0 3.2 0.9

 Bachelor's degree and higher [3] 6,255 3,319 2,936 104 54 50 1.7 1.6 1.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older 27,278 15,514 11,764 2,147 1,119 1,028 7.9 7.2 8.7

 Less than a high school diploma 6,111 4,054 2,056 885 513 372 14.5 12.7 18.1

 Less than 1 year of high school 2,830 1,973 858 408 250 158 14.4 12.7 18.5

 1–3 years of high school 2,589 1,642 947 396 214 183 15.3 13.0 19.3

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

2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
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[1] Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

[2] Includes people with a high school diploma or equivalent.

[3] Includes people with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may 

be of any race. Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Educational attainment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Total Men Women

Below poverty level Rate[1]

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 4 years of high school, no diploma 692 440 251 80 50 31 11.6 11.3 12.2

 High school graduates, no college [2] 8,774 5,445 3,329 717 380 337 8.2 7.0 10.1

 Some college or associate's degree 7,017 3,498 3,519 379 147 233 5.4 4.2 6.6

 Some college, no degree 4,656 2,406 2,250 275 105 170 5.9 4.4 7.5

 Associate's degree 2,361 1,092 1,269 105 42 63 4.4 3.8 5.0

 Bachelor's degree and higher [3] 5,376 2,517 2,859 166 79 86 3.1 3.2 3.0

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

2018 (Numbers in thousands)

Occupation, 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 [2] 155,401 82,448 72,953 6,505 2,846 3,659 4.2 3.5 5.0

 Management, professional, and related occupations 63,083 30,236 32,847 933 401 532 1.5 1.3 1.6

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations 26,577 14,649 11,927 414 232 182 1.6 1.6 1.5

 Professional and related occupations 36,506 15,587 20,920 519 170 350 1.4 1.1 1.7

 Service occupations 26,467 11,290 15,177 2,495 849 1,645 9.4 7.5 10.8

 Sales and office occupations 33,088 13,057 20,031 1,439 370 1,069 4.3 2.8 5.3

 Sales and related occupations 15,601 7,959 7,642 872 240 632 5.6 3.0 8.3

 Office and administrative support occupations 17,487 5,098 12,389 568 131 437 3.2 2.6 3.5

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 14,091 13,340 751 751 679 72 5.3 5.1 9.6

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 1,133 837 296 105 74 30 9.3 8.9 10.3

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, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 14

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

Below poverty level Rate [1]

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Construction and extraction occupations 8,306 8,021 285 491 464 27 5.9 5.8 9.3

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 4,652 4,482 170 155 140 15 3.3 3.1 8.9

 Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations 18,597 14,455 4,141 888 547 340 4.8 3.8 8.2

 Production occupations 8,675 6,248 2,427 343 159 185 4.0 2.5 7.6

 Transportation and material-moving occupations 9,921 8,207 1,714 544 389 156 5.5 4.7 9.1

White, 16 years and older [2] 121,021 65,537 55,483 4,467 2,075 2,392 3.7 3.2 4.3

 Management, professional, and related occupations 49,860 24,319 25,540 667 300 367 1.3 1.2 1.4

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations 21,806 12,440 9,366 301 173 128 1.4 1.4 1.4

 Professional and related occupations 28,054 11,879 16,175 366 127 239 1.3 1.1 1.5

 Service occupations 19,045 8,338 10,707 1,672 601 1,071 8.8 7.2 10.0

 Sales and office occupations 26,200 10,491 15,709 959 284 675 3.7 2.7 4.3

 Sales and related occupations 12,574 6,676 5,898 582 187 395 4.6 2.8 6.7

 Office and administrative support occupations 13,626 3,815 9,811 378 97 281 2.8 2.5 2.9

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 12,125 11,504 620 618 566 52 5.1 4.9 8.4

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 1,004 741 263 89 67 22 8.8 9.1 8.2

 Construction and extraction occupations 7,242 6,999 243 408 386 22 5.6 5.5 9.2

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 3,878 3,764 114 121 113 8 3.1 3.0 6.8

 Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations 13,745 10,842 2,903 551 324 227 4.0 3.0 7.8

 Production occupations 6,672 4,945 1,727 229 99 129 3.4 2.0 7.5

 Transportation and material-moving occupations 7,073 5,897 1,177 323 225 98 4.6 3.8 8.3

Black or African American, 16 years and older[2] 19,265 8,961 10,304 1,392 459 932 7.2 5.1 9.0

 Management, professional, and related occupations 6,200 2,274 3,926 173 52 121 2.8 2.3 3.1

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations 2,275 925 1,350 70 38 32 3.1 4.1 2.4

 Professional and related occupations 3,925 1,349 2,576 103 14 89 2.6 1.0 3.4

 Service occupations 4,711 1,829 2,881 589 156 433 12.5 8.5 15.0

 Sales and office occupations 4,048 1,409 2,638 316 35 282 7.8 2.5 10.7

 Sales and related occupations 1,646 631 1,015 201 27 174 12.2 4.2 17.1

 Office and administrative support occupations 2,401 778 1,623 116 8 108 4.8 1.0 6.6

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,106 1,018 88 80 70 10 7.2 6.9 11.0

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, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 15

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

Below poverty level Rate [1]

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 57 41 16 7 3 4 - - -

 Construction and extraction occupations 575 552 22 48 45 2 8.3 8.2 -

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 474 425 50 25 22 4 5.4 5.1 -

 Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations 3,179 2,411 768 233 146 87 7.3 6.1 11.3

 Production occupations 1,163 785 378 66 25 41 5.7 3.2 10.9

 Transportation and material-moving occupations 2,015 1,626 390 167 121 46 8.3 7.4 11.7

Asian, 16 years and older[2] 9,956 5,324 4,632 311 171 140 3.1 3.2 3.0

 Management, professional, and related occupations 5,426 2,933 2,493 67 39 28 1.2 1.3 1.1

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations 1,864 971 893 27 14 12 1.4 1.5 1.4

 Professional and related occupations 3,562 1,962 1,600 40 25 15 1.1 1.3 1.0

 Service occupations 1,546 626 920 99 42 57 6.4 6.7 6.2

 Sales and office occupations 1,636 739 897 67 29 38 4.1 3.9 4.2

 Sales and related occupations 822 446 376 37 19 19 4.6 4.2 4.9

 Office and administrative support occupations 813 293 520 29 10 19 3.6 3.3 3.7

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 353 341 12 17 16 1 4.7 4.6 -

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 28 22 6 1 1 - - - -

 Construction and extraction occupations 144 141 4 10 9 1 7.0 6.5 -

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 181 178 3 5 5 - 2.9 2.9 -

 Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations 991 681 311 62 46 16 6.2 6.7 5.2

 Production occupations 534 297 237 27 19 8 5.0 6.3 3.5

 Transportation and material-moving occupations 457 384 73 35 27 8 7.6 7.0 -

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older[2] 27,062 15,381 11,681 2,047 1,065 982 7.6 6.9 8.4

 Management, professional, and related occupations 6,064 2,777 3,287 156 67 89 2.6 2.4 2.7

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations 2,683 1,431 1,252 75 34 40 2.8 2.4 3.2

 Professional and related occupations 3,381 1,347 2,035 81 33 48 2.4 2.4 2.4

 Service occupations 6,524 2,845 3,679 874 355 519 13.4 12.5 14.1

 Sales and office occupations 5,593 2,239 3,354 319 94 226 5.7 4.2 6.7

 Sales and related occupations 2,575 1,230 1,345 193 60 133 7.5 4.9 9.9

 Office and administrative support occupations 3,018 1,008 2,010 126 34 92 4.2 3.4 4.6

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, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 16

[1] Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year.

[2] Estimates for the occupational groups do not sum to totals because data includes the long-term unemployed with no previous work experience and a small number of people whose last job was in the Armed Forces.

Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may 

be of any race. Dash represents zero, rounds to zero, or indicates that base is less than 80,000.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

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

Below poverty level Rate [1]

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 4,671 4,380 291 433 388 45 9.3 8.9 15.5

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 556 394 162 78 53 25 14.0 13.5 15.3

 Construction and extraction occupations 3,170 3,072 98 297 279 18 9.4 9.1 18.8

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 945 914 31 58 56 2 6.2 6.1 -

 Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations 4,197 3,127 1,069 264 161 103 6.3 5.1 9.7

 Production occupations 1,975 1,301 674 124 61 63 6.3 4.7 9.4

 Transportation and material-moving occupations 2,221 1,826 395 140 100 40 6.3 5.5 10.2

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, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total families At or above poverty level Below poverty level Rate [1]

Total Primary Families 68,099 64,472 3,628 5.3

 With related children under 18 years 34,531 31,469 3,062 8.9

 Without children 33,568 33,003 565 1.7

 With one member in the labor force 28,658 25,527 3,131 10.9

 With two or more members in the labor force 39,442 38,944 497 1.3

 With two members 32,803 32,363 440 1.3

 With three or more members 6,639 6,581 57 0.9

Married-couple families [2]

Total 50,523 49,116 1,407 2.8

 With related children under 18 years 24,317 23,183 1,133 4.7

 Without children 26,206 25,932 274 1.0

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, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 17

[1] Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

[2] Beginning with data for 2018, includes both opposite-sex and same-sex married-couple families. Prior to 2018, included opposite-sex married-couple families only.

[3] Beginning with data for 2018, includes families with no spouse of either sex present. Prior to 2018, included only families with no opposite-sex spouse present.

Note: Data relate to primary families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

Characteristic Total families At or above poverty level Below poverty level Rate [1]

 With one member in the labor force 17,187 16,077 1,110 6.5

 Husband 11,931 11,090 841 7.0

 Wife 4,504 4,277 227 5.0

 Relative 752 709 42 5.6

 With two or more members in the labor force 33,336 33,039 297 0.9

 With two members 28,215 27,951 264 0.9

 With three or more members 5,121 5,088 33 0.6

Families maintained by women [3]

Total 11,940 10,126 1,814 15.2

 With related children under 18 years 7,368 5,747 1,621 22.0

 Without children 4,572 4,379 193 4.2

 With one member in the labor force 8,088 6,427 1,660 20.5

 Householder 6,415 4,961 1,454 22.7

 Relative 1,673 1,466 207 12.3

 With two or more members in the labor force 3,852 3,698 154 4.0

Families maintained by men[3]

Total 5,636 5,230 406 7.2

 With related children under 18 years 2,847 2,539 308 10.8

 Without children 2,790 2,691 98 3.5

 With one member in the labor force 3,383 3,023 360 10.6

 Householder 2704 2421 283 10.5

 Relative 680 603 77 11.3

 With two or more members in the labor force 2253 2207 46 2.1

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, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 18

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Poverty status and 

work experience

Total

In married-couple families[1] In families maintained by women[2] In families maintained by men[2]

Unrelated 

individuals Husbands Wives

Related 

children under 

18 years

Other 

relatives

Householder

Related 

children under 

18 years

Other 

relatives

Householder

Related 

children under 

18 years

Other 

relatives

TOTAL, 16 YEARS 

AND OLDER

All people 258,527 61,168 62,021 5,692 22,439 15,039 2,145 14,540 6,461 690 7,058 61,276

 With labor 

force activity 168,617 45,715 38,247 1,335 14,108 10,409 465 9,043 4,991 194 4,693 39,416

 1 to 26 

weeks 12,163 1,514 2,471 714 2,422 634 264 1,056 257 87 411 2,334

 27 weeks 

or more

156,454 44,202 35,777 621 11,686 9,775 201 7,987 4,734 108 4,281 37,082

 With no labor 

force activity 89,910 15,453 23,773 4,357 8,331 4,631 1,680 5,497 1,469 495 2,365 21,860

At or above poverty 

level

All people 231,065 58,265 59,074 5,370 21,618 11,298 1,507 12,455 5,639 585 6,409 48,844

 With labor 

force activity 159,557 44,446 37,595 1,301 13,881 8,493 381 8,416 4,592 180 4,514 35,758

 1 to 26 

weeks 10,067 1,354 2,308 702 2,337 302 217 863 179 78 367 1,360

 27 weeks 

or more

149,490 43,092 35,287 599 11,544 8,191 164 7,553 4,414 102 4,147 34,398

 With no labor 

force activity 71,508 13,820 21,480 4,069 7,737 2,806 1,126 4,039 1,047 405 1,895 13,086

Below poverty level

All people 27,462 2,903 2,946 322 821 3,741 638 2,086 821 104 649 12,432

 With labor 

force activity 9,060 1,269 653 34 227 1,916 84 627 399 14 179 3,658

 1 to 26 

weeks 2,097 160 163 13 85 331 47 193 78 8 44 975

Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and work experience, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 19

[1] Beginning with data for 2018, includes people in both opposite-sex and same-sex married-couple families. Prior to 2018, included opposite-sex married-couple families only.

[2] Beginning with data for 2018, includes people in families with no spouse of either sex present. Prior to 2018, included only families with no opposite-sex spouse present.

[3] Number below the poverty level as a percentage of the total.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Poverty status and 

work experience

Total

In married-couple families[1] In families maintained by women[2] In families maintained by men[2]

Unrelated 

individuals Husbands Wives

Related 

children under 

18 years

Other 

relatives

Householder

Related 

children under 

18 years

Other 

relatives

Householder

Related 

children under 

18 years

Other 

relatives

 27 weeks 

or more

6,964 1,110 490 22 142 1,584 37 434 321 6 135 2,684

 With no labor 

force activity 18,402 1,633 2,294 288 594 1,825 553 1,459 422 90 470 8,774

RATE[3]

All people 10.6 4.7 4.8 5.7 3.7 24.9 29.7 14.3 12.7 15.1 9.2 20.3

 With labor 

force activity 5.4 2.8 1.7 2.6 1.6 18.4 18.1 6.9 8.0 7.3 3.8 9.3

 1 to 26 

weeks 17.2 10.5 6.6 1.8 3.5 52.3 17.8 18.3 30.4 9.6 10.7 41.8

 27 weeks 

or more

4.5 2.5 1.4 3.5 1.2 16.2 18.4 5.4 6.8 5.5 3.2 7.2

 With no labor 

force activity 20.5 10.6 9.6 6.6 7.1 39.4 33.0 26.5 28.7 18.2 19.9 40.1

Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and work experience, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total At or above poverty level Below poverty level Rate [1]

Age and gender

Total unrelated individuals 37,082 34,398 2,684 7.2

 16 to 19 years 336 210 126 37.5

 20 to 24 years 4,381 3,747 634 14.5

 25 to 64 years 29,348 27,551 1,797 6.1

Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and living 

arrangement, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 20

[1] Number below the poverty level as percent of total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may 

be of any race.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Characteristic Total At or above poverty level Below poverty level Rate [1]

 65 years and older 3,017 2,890 127 4.2

 Men 20,187 18,910 1,277 6.3

 Women 16,896 15,489 1,407 8.3

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White 28,146 26,276 1,870 6.6

Men 15,518 14,611 908 5.8

Women 12,628 11,666 962 7.6

Black or African American 5,765 5,178 587 10.2

 Men 2,881 2,612 269 9.3

 Women 2,883 2,566 317 11

Asian 1,822 1,715 106 5.8

 Men 1,020 955 65 6.4

 Women 802 761 42 5.2

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 5,263 4,716 546 10.4

 Men 3,177 2,915 262 8.3

 Women 2,085 1,801 284 13.6

Living arrangement

Living alone 18,879 17,861 1,018 5.4

Living with others 18,203 16,537 1,666 9.2

Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and living 

arrangement, 2018 (Numbers in thousands)

Labor market problems Total At or above poverty level Below poverty level Rate [1]

Total, full-time wage and salary workers 124,053 120,790 3,264 2.6

No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings[2] 107,667 106,954 714 0.7

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, 2018 

(Numbers in thousands)

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 21

[1] Number below the poverty level as percent of total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

[2] The low-earnings threshold in 2018 was $369.59 per week.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Labor market problems Total At or above poverty level Below poverty level Rate [1]

Workers experiencing one labor market problem

 Unemployment only 4,727 4,465 262 5.5

 Involuntary part-time employment only 2,472 2,429 43 1.7

 Low earnings only 6,850 5,280 1,570 22.9

Workers experiencing multiple labor market problems

 Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment 716 632 84 11.8

 Unemployment and low earnings 847 536 311 36.8

 Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings 500 337 162 32.5

 Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings 273 157 117 42.7

Workers experiencing each labor market problem

 Unemployment (alone or with other problems) 6,564 5,790 774 11.8

 Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems) 3,962 3,555 406 10.3

 Low earnings (alone or with other problems) 8,470 6,309 2,161 25.5

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, 2018 

(Numbers in thousands)
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 22

Technical Notes

The data presented in this report were collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the 

Current Population Survey (CPS). Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 

CPS is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households. Data from the CPS are used to obtain 

monthly estimates of the nation’s employment and unemployment levels. The ASEC, conducted in the months of 

February through April, includes questions about work activity and income during the previous calendar year. For 

instance, data collected in 2019 are for the 2018 calendar year.

Estimates in this report are based on a sample and, consequently, may differ from estimates that would have 

been obtained from a complete count using the same questionnaire and procedures. Sampling variability may be 

relatively large in cases where the numbers are small. Thus, both small estimates and small differences between 

estimates should be interpreted with caution. For a detailed explanation of the ASEC supplement to the CPS, its 

sampling variability, more extensive definitions than those provided here, and additional information about income 

and poverty measures, see “Income and poverty in the United States: 2018,” Current Population Reports, P60–

266 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2019), www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2019/

demo/p60-266.pdf.

Material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission.

Upon request, the information in this report is available to individuals who are sensory impaired. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

For more information on the data provided in this report, contact the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of 

Labor Force Statistics. Email: cpsinfo@bls.gov; Telephone: (202) 691-6378.

Concepts and definitions

Poverty classification statistics presented in this report are based on definitions developed by the Social Security 

Administration in 1964 and revised by federal interagency committees in 1969 and 1981. These definitions 

originally were based on the Department of Agriculture’s Economy Food Plan and reflected the different 

consumption requirements of families on the basis of factors such as family size and the number of children 

under 18 years of age.

The actual poverty thresholds vary with the makeup of the family. In 2018, the weighted average poverty 

threshold for a family of four was $25,701; for a family of nine or more people, the threshold was $51,393; and for 

one person (unrelated individual), it was $12,784. Poverty thresholds are updated each year to reflect changes in 

the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Thresholds do not vary geographically. For more 

information, see “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018,” www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/

publications/2019/demo/p60-266.pdf.

The low-earnings level, as first developed in 1987, represented the average of the real value of the minimum 

wage between 1967 and 1987 for a 40-hour workweek. The year 1967 was chosen as the base year because 

that was the first year in which minimum-wage legislation covered essentially the same broad group of workers 

that currently is covered. The low-earnings level has been adjusted each year since then in accordance with the 

CPI-U, so the measure maintains the same real value that it held in 1987. In 2018, the low-earnings threshold 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 23

▪

was $369.59 per week. For a complete definition, see Bruce W. Klein and Philip L. Rones, “A profile of the 

working poor,” Monthly Labor Review, October 1989, pp. 3–11, www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1989/10/art1full.pdf.

Data on income are limited to money income—before personal income taxes and payroll deductions— received 

in the calendar year preceding the CPS supplement. Data on income do not include the value of noncash 

benefits, such as food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, public housing, and employer-provided benefits. For a 

complete definition of income, see “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018,” www.census.gov/content/

dam/Census/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-266.pdf.

The labor force refers to people who worked or looked for work sometime during the calendar year. The number 

of weeks in the labor force is accumulated over the entire year. The focus in this report is on people who were in 

the labor force for 27 weeks or more.

The working poor are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force (that is, working or looking for work) 

but whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level.

The working-poor rate is the number of individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks whose incomes still fell 

below the official poverty level, as a percentage of all people who were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks 

during the calendar year.

Involuntary part-time workers are people who, during at least 1 week of the year, worked fewer than 35 hours 

because of slack work or unfavorable business conditions or because they could not find full-time work. The 

number of weeks of involuntary part-time work is accumulated over the year.

Occupation refers to the job in which a person worked the most weeks during the calendar year.

Unemployed people are those who looked for work while not employed or those who were on layoff from a job 

and were expecting to be recalled to that job. The number of weeks unemployed is accumulated over the entire 

year.

The householder is the family reference person. This is the person, or one of the people, in whose name the 

housing unit is owned or rented. The relationships of the other individuals in the household are defined in terms of 

their relationships to the householder. The race or Hispanic ethnicity of the family is determined by that of the 

householder.

A family is a group of two or more people residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption; all 

such people are considered members of one family. Families include those with or without children under 18 

years old. The count of families is for “primary” families only. A primary family consists of a householder and all 

other people related to and residing with the householder. Sub-families are excluded from the count of families. A 

sub-family is a family that does not maintain its own household, but lives in the home of someone else. Family 

status is determined at the time of the survey interview and, thus, may be different from that of the previous year. 

Families are further categorized as follows:

Married-couple families refer to opposite-sex and same-sex married couples residing together and 

any of their family members residing in the household.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 24

▪ Families maintained by men or women are made up of householders residing with one or more 

family members but with no spouse of either sex present. Unmarried domestic partners of either sex 

may or may not be present in the household.

Beginning in 2018, the definition of married couples in this report includes both opposite-sex and same-sex 

married couples. Prior to 2018, married-couple families included opposite-sex married-couple families only. 

Therefore, 2018 estimates for married-couple families and families maintained by men or women may not be 

comparable to those from prior years because of the change in the definition of marital status.

Unrelated individuals are people who are not living with anyone related to them by birth, marriage, or adoption. 

Such individuals may live alone or live with other individuals to whom they may not be related. Beginning in 2018, 

estimates for unrelated individuals may not be comparable to those from prior years because of the change in the 

definition of marital status.

Related children refer to children under age 18 who are living in the household and are related to the 

householder. Included are own children (sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children) of the husband, 

wife, or person maintaining the family, as well as other children related to the householder by birth, marriage, or 

adoption. Beginning in 2018, estimates for related children may not be comparable to those from prior years 

because of the change in the definition of marital status.

Race is reported by the householder respondent. White, Black or African American, and Asian are categories 

used to describe the race of people. People in these categories are those who selected that race group only. Data 

for the two remaining race categories—American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Other 

Pacific Islander—and for people who selected more than one race category are included in totals, but are not 

shown separately because the number of survey respondents is too small to develop estimates of sufficient 

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

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity refers to people who identified themselves in the CPS enumeration process as being 

of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish ethnicity. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any 

race.