Median Household Money Income, Persons Below
Poverty and Children Below Poverty, 1990 and 2000
1990 Source: U.S. Bureau of the
Census, 1990 Census, Summary Tape File 3A, TablesP-80A and P-117.
http://venus.census.gov/cdrom/lookup
http://factfinder.census.gov, 1990
Summary Tape File 3
2000 Source: U.S. Bureau of the
Census, Census 2000; Profile of Selected Economic Characteristics:
2000, Table DP-3.
http://factfinder.census.gov, Summary
File 3, Quick Tables.
Estimate Source: U.S. Bureau of
the Census, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/estimatetoc.html
Updated annually for states and counties.
Definitions:
Median
income-- The median
divides the income distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases
falling below the median income and one-half above the median. For households
and families, the median income is based on the distribution of the total number
of households or families including those with no income. This measure is
rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
Household income--
Includes the
income of the householder and all other individuals 15 years old and over in the
household, whether they are related to the householder or not. Because many households consist of only one
person, average household income is usually less than average family
income.
Poverty
status-- Poverty is
measured by using 48 thresholds that vary by family size and number of children
within the family and age of the householder. To determine whether a person is
poor, one compares the total income of that person’s family with the threshold
appropriate for that family. If the total family income is less than the
threshold, then the person is considered poor, together with every member of his
or her family.
For persons not in families,
poverty status is determined by their income in relation to the appropriate
poverty threshold. Thus, two unrelated individuals living together may not have
the same poverty status.
Important
Note-- Not every
person is included in the poverty universe.
Poverty status was not determined for institutionalized people, people in
military group quarters, people living in college dormitories, and unrelated
individuals under 15 years old. These
people are considered neither as ‘‘poor’’ nor as ‘‘nonpoor,’’ and are excluded
from both the numerator and the denominator when calculating poverty
rates.
The Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) mandates that all federal agencies (including the
Census Bureau) use this poverty definition for statistical purposes (OMB
Statistical Policy Directive 14, May 1978).
Poverty Thresholds-- The poverty
thresholds are updated every year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price
Index. The poverty thresholds are the same for all parts of the country – they
are not adjusted for regional, state or local variations in the cost of
living. The specific thresholds used for
tabulation of 1999 income in the 2000 census are shown at: http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/threshld/thresh99.html
For more details, see “Poverty Definition,
Thresholds, and Guidelines” at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty.html.
Poverty Estimates-- The state and county
poverty estimates are produced through statistical modeling.
For the most recent estimates of poverty and
median income for states and counties, see http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe.html
Definitions for Census 2000 Terms: http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/ProfilesTD.pdf
Definitions for 1990 Census Terms: http://www.census.gov/td/stf3/append_b.html
More Information:
·
Income and poverty data from other
sources
·
Small Area Income
and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for states and counties, annual
