Age
- In 2016, 18.0 percent of children under age 18 (13.3 million) were in poverty, down from 19.7 percent and 14.5 million in 2015. Children represented 23.0 percent of the total population and 32.6 percent of the people in poverty.
- In 2016, 11.6 percent of people ages 18 to 64 (22.8 million) were in poverty, down from 12.4 percent and 24.4 million in 2015.
- In 2016, 9.3 percent of people age 65 and older were in poverty, statistically unchanged from 2015. The number in poverty increased from 4.2 million to 4.6 million between 2015 and 2016.
Regions
- In 2016, the poverty rate and the number in poverty decreased in the Northeast from 12.4 percent (6.9 million) in 2015 to 10.8 percent (6.0 million) and in the South from 15.3 percent (18.3 million) in 2015 to 14.1 percent (17.0 million). The Midwest and West did not experience a significant change in the poverty rate or the number in poverty between 2015 and 2016.
Shared Households
Shared households are defined as households that include at least one “additional” adult, a person age 18 or older, who is not the householder, spouse or cohabiting partner of the householder. Adults ages 18 to 24 who are enrolled in school are not counted as additional adults.
- In 2017, the number and percentage of shared households remained higher than in 2007, the year before the most recent recession. In 2007, 17.0 percent of all households were shared households, totaling 19.7 million households. In 2017, 19.4 percent of all households were shared households, totaling 24.6 million households.
- Of young adults ages 25 to 34, 16.1 percent (7.1 million) lived with their parents in 2017, neither estimate was statistically different from 2016.
Supplemental Poverty Measure
The supplemental poverty measure extends the official poverty measure by taking into account many of the government programs designed to assist low-income families and individuals that are not included in the current official poverty measure.
The supplemental poverty measure released today shows:
- The supplemental poverty rate decreased 0.6 percentage points in 2016 to 13.9 percent, from 14.5 percent in 2015.
- The supplemental poverty rate for 2016 was 1.2 percentage points higher than the official poverty rate of 12.7 percent.
- There were 44.6 million people in poverty in 2016 using the supplemental poverty measure (13.9 percent), higher than the 40.7 million (12.7 percent) using the official poverty definition with the supplemental poverty measure universe.
- While the supplemental poverty rate declined for many groups, individuals age 65 and over experienced a statistically significant increase, from 13.7 percent in 2015 to 14.5 percent in 2016.
- When tax credits and noncash benefits results are included, this results in lower poverty rates for some groups. For instance, the supplemental poverty rate was lower for children than the official rate: 15.1 percent compared with 18.0 percent.
While the official poverty measure includes only pretax money income, the supplemental poverty measure adds the value of in-kind benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, school lunches, housing assistance and refundable tax credits.
Additionally, the supplemental poverty measure deducts necessary expenses for critical goods and services from income. Expenses that are deducted include: taxes, child care, commuting expenses, contributions toward the cost of medical care and health insurance premiums and child support paid to another household. The supplemental poverty measure permits the examination of the effects of government transfers on poverty estimates. For example, not including refundable tax credits (the Earned Income Tax Credit and the refundable portion of the child tax credit) in resources, the poverty rate for all people would have been 16.5 percent rather than 13.9 percent. The supplemental poverty measure does not replace the official poverty measure and will not be used to determine eligibility for government programs.
Health Insurance Coverage
- The Current Population Survey shows that the percentage of people with health insurance coverage for all or part of 2016 was 91.2 percent, 0.3 percentage points higher than the rate in 2015 (90.9 percent). Over time, changes in the rate of health insurance coverage and the distribution of coverage types may reflect economic trends, shifts in the demographic composition of the population, and policy changes that affect access to health care. Several such policy changes occurred in 2014 when many provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act went into effect.
- In 2016, private health insurance coverage continued to be more prevalent than government coverage, at 67.5 percent and 37.3 percent, respectively. Neither the private coverage rate nor government coverage rate had a statistically significant change from 2015.
- Of the subtypes of health insurance coverage, employer-based insurance covered 55.7 percent of the population for some or all of the calendar year, followed by Medicaid (19.4 percent), Medicare (16.7 percent), direct-purchase (16.2 percent) and military coverage (4.6 percent).
- Medicare was the only subtype of health insurance that experienced a statistically significant change between 2015 and 2016. The rate of Medicare coverage increased by 0.4 percentage points, from 16.3 percent in 2015 to 16.7 percent in 2016. This increase was likely due to growth in the number of people age 65 and over and not to changes in Medicare coverage rates within any particular age group.
Age
- According to the American Community Survey, between 2015 and 2016, the percentage of people without health insurance coverage dropped for most ages under 65, with generally larger decreases for working-age adults (ages 19 to 64).
Race and Hispanic Origin
(Race data refer to people reporting a single race only; Hispanics can be of any race.)
- In 2016, non-Hispanic whites had the lowest uninsured rate among race and Hispanic origin groups at 6.3 percent. The uninsured rates for blacks and Asians were 10.5 percent and 7.6 percent, respectively. Hispanics had the highest uninsured rate at 16.0 percent.
- According to the American Community Survey, in 2016, the state with the lowest percentage of people without health insurance at the time of the interview was Massachusetts (2.5 percent), while the highest uninsured rate was in Texas (16.6 percent).
- The American Community Survey also showed that between 2015 and 2016, the uninsured rate decreased in 39 states. The declines for the states ranged from 0.3 percentage points (Massachusetts) to 3.5 percentage points (Montana). Eleven states and the District of Columbia did not have a statistically significant change in their uninsured rate.
States
- According to the American Community Survey, in 2016, the state with the lowest percentage of people without health insurance at the time of the interview was Massachusetts (2.5 percent), while the highest uninsured rate was in Texas (16.6 percent).
- The American Community Survey also showed that between 2015 and 2016, the uninsured rate decreased in 39 states. The declines for the states ranged from 0.3 percentage points (Massachusetts) to 3.5 percentage points (Montana). Eleven states and the District of Columbia did not have a statistically significant change in their uninsured rate.
State and Local Estimates From the American Community Survey
On Thursday, Sept. 14, the Census Bureau will release 2016 single-year estimates of median household income, poverty and health insurance for all states, counties, places and other geographic units with populations of 65,000 or more from the American Community Survey. These statistics will include numerous social, economic and housing characteristics, such as language, education, commuting, employment, mortgage status and rent. Later today, subscribers will be able to access these estimates on an embargoed basis.
The American Community Survey provides a wide range of important statistics about people and housing for every community (i.e., census tracts or neighborhoods) across the nation. The results are used by everyone from town and city planners to retailers and homebuilders. The survey is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40 topics it covers.
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 Income, Poverty and Health Insurance estimates, visit <www2.census.gov/library/publications/2017/demo/p60-259sa.pdf>.
More Articles
- Department of Labor Awards $5M to Train, Expand Pathways for Women for Registered Apprenticeships, Nontraditional Occupations
- Statement by President Joe Biden On Speaker Nancy Pelosi Stepping Down from Democratic Leadership in the House of Representatives; "When I think of Nancy Pelosi, I think of dignity"
- Voting Rights: Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke Testifies Before the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing; “One of the most monumental laws in the entire history of American freedom”
- Jo Freeman Reviews MADAM SPEAKER, Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons Of Power: “An iron fist in a Gucci glove”
- Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), February 8th: This Early Stage of the COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-Out, Most Older Adults Have Not Yet Been Vaccinated As Supply Remains Limited
- Stateline, Biden Likely to Help States Increase Health Care Access: December 15, 2020, Last Day to Enroll In or Change Plans for 2021 Coverage and GAO Reports on Breast and Cervical Cancer.
- Updated Subsidy Calculator and 300+ FAQs Help Consumers Understand the ACA Marketplaces as Open Enrollment Begins
- Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden We’ve never backed a presidential candidate in our 175-year history — until now
- Where We Stand: Partial Draft of Democratic Party Platform Already Voted Upon By Delegates; Covid-19 Pandemic Is a Prime Focus
- Stateline: Many Faithful Say It’s Time to Gather. Some Governors Disagree