The working poor 'have health constraints. A recent study by Jay Zagorsky at Ohio State has found that fully one-third of the working poor have health limitations or other serious conditions that may limit their ability to rise out of poverty. He found that those who suffer from such conditions are more likely to become members of the working poor, and that the working poor who have such conditions stay in poverty longer and earn less money once they finally leave poverty. Thus the working poor face not only the problem of holding jobs that pay adequate wages and provide steady earnings, but also more difficult problems of having health conditions that limit their ability to work. The working poor are less likely to be in two parent families.
Single female headed families are especially over-represented among the working poor.
Workers who were never married or those who were once married also face relatively high rates of working poverty. The working poor have less access to health care. The working poor are less likely to be covered by health insurance by their employers. Most likely, the jobs these workers hold are less likely to offer health insurance. The working poor do not participate in welfare programs to the extent that they qualify, even though they need this assistance.