The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that
real median household income in the United States in 2009 was $49,777, not
statistically different from the 2008 median.
The nation's official poverty rate in 2009 was
14.3 percent, up from 13.2 percent in 2008 — the second statistically
significant annual increase in the poverty rate since 2004. There were 43.6
million people in poverty in 2009, up from 39.8 million in 2008 — the third
consecutive annual increase.
Meanwhile, the number of people without health
insurance coverage rose from 46.3 million in 2008 to 50.7 million in 2009, while
the percentage increased from 15.4 percent to 16.7 percent over the same
period.
These findings are contained in the report
Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance
Coverage in the United States: 2009. The following results for the
nation were compiled from information collected in the 2010 Current Population
Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC):
Income
Race and Hispanic Origin (Race data refer to people reporting a single race
only. Hispanics can be of any race.)
- Among race groups, Asian households had the highest median
income in 2009. Real median income declined between 2008 and 2009 for
non-Hispanic white and black households, while the changes for Asian and
Hispanic-origin households were not statistically different. (See Table A [PDF].)
Regions
- In 2009, households in the West and Northeast had the highest
median household incomes. (The apparent difference between the two regions was
not statistically significant.) Real median income declined between 2008 and
2009 in the Midwest and West; the changes for the Northeast and South were not
statistically significant. (See Table A [PDF].)
Nativity
- In 2009, households maintained by naturalized citizens had
the highest median income. Native-born households and those maintained by
noncitizens experienced income declines from 2008 to 2009, in real terms. The
changes in the median income of all foreign-born households and households
maintained by a naturalized citizen were not statistically significant. (See
Table A [PDF].)
Earnings
- In 2009, the earnings of women who worked full time,
year-round were 77 percent of that for corresponding men, not statistically
different from the 2008 ratio.
- The real median earnings of men who worked full time,
year-round rose by 2.0 percent between 2008 and 2009, from $46,191 to $47,127.
For women, the corresponding increase was 1.9 percent, from $35,609 to
$36,278. (The difference between the 2.0 and 1.9 percent increases was not
statistically significant.)
Income Inequality
- The change in income inequality between 2008 and 2009 was not
statistically significant, as measured by shares of aggregate household income
by quintiles and the Gini index. The Gini index was 0.468 in 2009. (The Gini
index is a measure of household income inequality; 0 represents perfect income
equality and 1 perfect inequality.)
Poverty
- The poverty rate in 2009 was the highest since 1994, but was
8.1 percentage points lower than the poverty rate in 1959, the first year for
which poverty estimates are available. The number of people in poverty in 2009
is the largest number in the 51 years for which poverty estimates are
available.
- In 2009, the family poverty rate and the number of families
in poverty were 11.1 percent and 8.8 million, respectively, up from 10.3
percent and 8.1 million in 2008.
- The poverty rate and the number in poverty increased across
all types of families: married-couple families (5.8 percent and 3.4 million in
2009 from 5.5 percent and 3.3 million in 2008);
female-householder-with-no-husband-present families (29.9 percent and 4.4
million in 2009 from 28.7 percent and 4.2 million in 2008) and for
male-householder-no-wife-present families (16.9 percent and 942,000 in 2009
from 13.8 percent and 723,000 in 2008).
Thresholds
- As defined by the Office of Management and Budget and updated
for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, the weighted average poverty
threshold for a family of four in 2009 was $21,954. Since the average annual
CPI-U for 2009 was lower than the average annual CPI-U for 2008, poverty
thresholds for 2009 are slightly lower than the corresponding thresholds for
2008. (See <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables/032010/pov/new35_000.htm>
for the complete set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and
composition.)
Race and Hispanic Origin (Race data refer to people reporting a single race
only. Hispanics can be of any race.)
- The poverty rate for non-Hispanic whites was lower in 2009
than it was for other racial groups. The poverty rate is not statistically
different from the 2008 poverty rate for Asians, but increased for all other
race groups and for Hispanics.
Table B [PDF] details
2009 poverty rates and numbers in poverty, as well as changes since 2008 in
these measures, for race groups and Hispanics.
Age
- The poverty rate increased for children younger than 18 (from
19.0 percent in 2008 to 20.7 percent in 2009) and people 18 to 64 (from 11.7
percent in 2008 to 12.9 percent in 2009), while it declined for people 65 and
older (from 9.7 percent in 2008 to 8.9 percent in 2009).
- Similar to the patterns observed for the poverty rate in
2009, the number of people in poverty increased for children younger than 18
(14.1 million in 2008 to 15.5 million in 2009) and people 18 to 64 (22.1
million in 2008 to 24.7 million in 2009) and declined for seniors 65 and older
(from 3.7 million in 2008 to 3.4 million in 2009).
Nativity
- The 2009 poverty rate for naturalized citizens was not
statistically different from 2008, while the poverty rates of native-born and
noncitizens increased. Table B [PDF] details 2009
poverty rates and the numbers in poverty, as well as changes since 2008 in
these measures, by nativity.
Regions
- The poverty rate increased from 2008 to 2009 in the Midwest,
South and West while all four regions had increases in the number of people in
poverty. (The 2009 poverty rate for the Northeast was not statistically
different from its 2008 poverty rate.) (See Table B
[PDF].)
Health Insurance Coverage
- The number of people with health insurance decreased from
255.1 million in 2008 to 253.6 million in 2009. Since 1987, the first year
that comparable health insurance data were collected, this is the first year
that the number of people with health insurance has decreased.
- Between 2008 and 2009, the number of people covered by
private health insurance decreased from 201.0 million to 194.5 million, while
the number covered by government health insurance climbed from 87.4 million to
93.2 million. The number covered by employment-based health insurance declined
from 176.3 million to 169.7 million. The number with Medicaid coverage
increased from 42.6 million to 47.8 million.
- Comparable health insurance data were first collected in
1987. The percentage of people covered by private insurance (63.9 percent) is
the lowest since that year, as is the percentage of people covered by
employment-based insurance (55.8 percent). In contrast, the percentage of
people covered by government health insurance programs (30.6 percent) is the
highest since 1987, as is the percentage covered by Medicaid (15.7 percent).
- In 2009, 10.0 percent (7.5 million) of children under 18 were
without health insurance. Neither estimate is significantly different from the
corresponding 2008 estimate.
- The uninsured rate for children in poverty (15.1 percent) was
greater than the rate for all children.
- In 2009, the uninsured rates decreased as household income
increased: from 26.6 percent for those in households with annual incomes less
than $25,000 to 9.1 percent in households with incomes of $75,000 or more.
Race and Hispanic Origin (Race data refer to those reporting a single race
only. Hispanics can be of any race.)
- The uninsured rate and number of uninsured in 2009 were not
statistically different from 2008 for Asians while increasing for all other
race groups and for Hispanics. (See Table C [PDF].)
Nativity
- The proportion of the foreign-born population without health
insurance in 2009 was nearly two-and-a-half times that of the native-born
population. The uninsured rate was not statistically different for naturalized
citizens but rose for noncitizens and the native-born. Table
C [PDF] details the 2009 uninsured rate and the number of uninsured, as
well as changes since 2008 in these measures, by nativity.
Regions
- The Northeast had the lowest uninsured rate in 2009. Between
2008 and 2009, the uninsured rates and number of uninsured increased in all
four regions. (See Table C [PDF].)
The Census Bureau's statistical experts, with assistance from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics and in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget,
the Economics and Statistics Administration and other appropriate agencies and
outside experts, are now developing a Supplemental Poverty Measure. The
Supplemental Poverty Measure will provide an additional measure of economic
well-being. It will not replace the official poverty measure and will not be
used to determine eligibility for government programs. See Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage
in the United States: 2009, for more information.
The Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement
is subject to sampling and nonsampling errors. All comparisons made in the
report have been tested and found to be statistically significant at the 90
percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted.
For additional information on the source of the data and accuracy of
the estimates for the CPS, visit <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/p60_238.pdf>.
Table A. Median Household Income
|
2008 |
2009 |
Percent change in |
|
(in 2009 dollars) |
real median income |
Region |
|
|
|
U.S. |
$50,112 |
$49,777 |
-0.7 |
Northeast |
$54,140 |
$53,073 |
-2.0 |
Midwest |
$49,922 |
$48,877 |
*-2.1 |
South |
$45,417 |
$45,615 |
0.4 |
West |
$54,876 |
$53,833 |
*-1.9 |
|
|
|
|
Race and Hispanic Origin of
Householder |
|
|
|
White |
$52,113 |
$51,861 |
-0.5 |
White, not Hispanic |
$55,319 |
$54,461 |
*-1.6 |
Black |
$34,088 |
$32,584 |
*-4.4 |
Asian |
$65,388 |
$65,469 |
0.1 |
Hispanic origin (any race) |
$37,769 |
$38,039 |
0.7 |
|
|
|
|
Nativity of Householder |
|
|
|
Native born |
$50,862 |
$50,503 |
*-0.7 |
Foreign born |
$43,328 |
$43,923 |
1.4 |
Naturalized citizen |
$51,328 |
$51,975 |
1.3 |
Not a citizen |
$37,807 |
$36,089 |
*-4.5 |
*Change statistically significant at the 90
percent confidence level. |
Table B. People in Poverty
(Numbers in
thousands)
|
2008 |
2009 |
Change in poverty |
|
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Region |
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. |
39,829 |
13.2 |
43,569 |
14.3 |
*3,740 |
*1.1 |
Northeast |
6,295 |
11.6 |
6,650 |
12.2 |
*355 |
0.6 |
Midwest |
8,120 |
12.4 |
8,768 |
13.3 |
*648 |
*0.9 |
South |
15,862 |
14.3 |
17,609 |
15.7 |
*1,747 |
*1.4 |
West |
9,552 |
13.5 |
10,542 |
14.8 |
*990 |
*1.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Race and Hispanic Origin |
|
|
|
|
|
|
White |
26,990 |
11.2 |
29,830 |
12.3 |
*2,841 |
*1.1 |
White, not Hispanic |
17,024 |
8.6 |
18,530 |
9.4 |
*1,506 |
*0.8 |
Black |
9,379 |
24.7 |
9,944 |
25.8 |
*565 |
*1.1 |
Asian |
1,576 |
11.8 |
1,746 |
12.5 |
*169 |
0.6 |
Hispanic origin |
10,987 |
23.2 |
12,350 |
25.3 |
*1,363 |
*2.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nativity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Native born |
33,293 |
12.6 |
36,407 |
13.7 |
*3,114 |
*1.1 |
Foreign born |
6,536 |
17.8 |
7,162 |
19.0 |
*626 |
*1.3 |
Naturalized citizen |
1,577 |
10.2 |
1,736 |
10.8 |
160 |
0.6 |
Not a citizen |
4,959 |
23.3 |
5,425 |
25.1 |
*466 |
*1.8 |
*Statistically different
from zero at the 90 percent confidence level. |
Table C. People Without Health Insurance Coverage
(Numbers in thousands)
|
2008 |
2009 |
Change |
|
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Region |
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. |
46,340 |
15.4 |
50,674 |
16.7 |
*4,335 |
*1.3 |
Northeast |
6,277 |
11.6 |
6,789 |
12.4 |
*512 |
*0.8 |
Midwest |
7,588 |
11.6 |
8,770 |
13.3 |
*1,181 |
*1.7 |
South |
20,154 |
18.2 |
22,105 |
19.7 |
*1,951 |
*1.5 |
West |
12,321 |
17.4 |
13,011 |
18.3 |
*690 |
*0.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Race and Hispanic Origin |
|
|
|
|
|
|
White |
34,890 |
14.5 |
38,399 |
15.8 |
*3,509 |
*1.4 |
White, not Hispanic |
21,322 |
10.8 |
23,658 |
12.0 |
*2,336 |
*1.2 |
Black |
7,284 |
19.1 |
8,102 |
21.0 |
*818 |
*1.8 |
Asian |
2,344 |
17.6 |
2,409 |
17.2 |
65 |
-0.4 |
Hispanic origin |
14,558 |
30.7 |
15,820 |
32.4 |
*1,263 |
*1.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nativity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Native |
34,036 |
12.9 |
37,694 |
14.1 |
*3,658 |
*1.3 |
Foreign born |
12,304 |
33.5 |
12,980 |
34.5 |
*677 |
*1.0 |
Naturalized citizen |
2,792 |
18.0 |
3,044 |
19.0 |
*252 |
1.0 |
Not a citizen |
9,511 |
44.7 |
9,936 |
46.0 |
*425 |
*1.3 |
*Change statistically significant at the 90
percent confidence level. |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Public Information Office |
PIO@census.gov | Last Revised: September 16,
2010