Frequently Asked Questions

In 2010, 11.7% of all families were in poverty.  The poverty rates by type of family were

6.2% of married couples were in poverty; this type of family accounted for 73% of all families

There are two official measures of poverty: poverty guidelines and poverty thresholds.  Both of these measures are intended to identify the level of income necessary to meet basic needs.

In 2010 (the most recent year for which statistics have been compiled),  46.2 million people in the United States were in poverty and the nation’s official poverty rate was 15.1%. This was the fourth consecutive annual increase and the largest number in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published.

In 2010, the gender distribution of people in poverty was

• 45% of people in poverty were male; males accounted for 49% of the total population
• 55% of the people in poverty were female; females accounted for 51% of the total population

The poverty rate by gender were

The Census Bureau reports poverty rates for current workers aged 16 and older.  In 2010, among all workers aged 16 and older the poverty rate as 7.0 percent unchanged from 2009.