A Profile of the Working Poor
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The BLS produces an annual report on the working poor. 

The working poor are defined as 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.

Frequency and Timespan:  Annual with reports from 1996 to the present

Geographic Level of Coverage: National

Publications and tables available online

Source:
United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics, A Profile of the Working Poor  Accessed 7/10/2014

Who are the working poor in America?
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The “working poor” are people who spend 27 weeks or more in a year in the labor force either working or looking for work but whose incomes fall below the poverty level. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 9.5 million of people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force were poor. That year, the working poor comprised 6.3 percent of all individuals in the labor force.

What are poverty rates among working adults?
Official data by work experience

 

The Census Bureau reports poverty rates by work experience for people ages 18 to 64.  In 2014, the overall poverty rate for people ages 18 to 64 was 14%.