Change in Child Poverty by Select Demographic Characteristics: 2007-2012

Since the Great Recession poverty has increased overall and particularly for children. Nearly all of the increase in child poverty occurred between 2007 and 2010 with the national rate rising by 3.8 percentage points, as shown by the orange bars (from 18.0 percent to 21.8 percent). In 2011 and 2012 the national poverty rate leveled off with little change, as shown by the green bars.

 

Table 1. Child Poverty Rate for Selected Demographics, 2007, 2010 and 2012

	2007          Poverty Rate	2010          Poverty Rate	2012           Poverty Rate	2007-2010  Pct Point change	2010-2012  Pct Point change
Total Population	18.0	22.0	21.8	4.0	-0.2
Age
0-5 years	21.1	25.8	24.8	4.7	-1.0
6-11 years	17.3	21.6	22.6	4.3	1.1
12-17 years	15.7	18.6	18.3	2.9	-0.3
Race and Ethnicity
Hispanic	28.6	35.0	33.8	6.4	-1.2
White non-Hispanic	10.1	12.4	12.3	2.2	0.0
Black	34.5	39.1	37.9	4.6	-1.2
Asian	12.5	14.4	13.8	1.8	-0.5
Two or More Races	18.2	24.9	23.4	6.7	-1.5
Immigrant Generation
1st generation	26.8	32.1	27.9	5.3	-4.2
2nd Generation	22.2	30.1	27.9	7.9	-2.2
3rd+ Generation	16.4	19.2	19.7	2.8	0.5
Family Type
Married family	8.5	11.6	11.1	3.1	-0.5
Male-headed family	22.3	28.4	26.4	6.1	-2.0
Female-headed family	41.8	45.8	46.4	4.0	0.6

Note: White non-Hispanic refers to White alone. Black refers to Black alone and Asian refers to the Asian group alone. Hispanics may be any race.
First generation is foreign-born.  Second Generation is native-born with a foreign-born parent(s). Family type is a count of children in families.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

 

Table 2 shows that since the start of the Great Recession in 2007, poverty increased somewhat more for the youngest children (ages 0-5 years), as well as Hispanic children, Black children, and children of two or more races. Second generation children and those living in single-parent families also experienced a greater rise in poverty compared with their peers in native-born or married parent families. 

 

Table 2. Change in the Child Poverty Rate from 2007 to 2012

Note: White non-Hispanic refers to White alone. Black refers to Black alone and Asian refers to the Asian group alone. Hispanics may be any race.
First generation is foreign-born.  Second Generation is native-born with a foreign-born parent(s). Family type is a count of children in families.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

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Change in Child Poverty by Age

• In 2012, one of every four U.S. children under age 5 lived in poverty. From well before the recession, children under 5 years of age have had higher poverty rates than older children.
• The child poverty rate climbed most steeply for children ages 6-11 years, increasing by 5.3 percentage points from 2007 to 2012.
• The number of poor children in each age group increased. Compared with 2007, the poor population in 2012 had increased by about 1.4 million children ages 6-11 years,  700,000 children ages 0-5, and 700,000 adolescents.
• The largest number of poor children is made up of those ages 0-5 years, a total of 5.9 million in 2012.

Figure 1a. Child Poverty by Age, 2007-2012

Figure 1b. Child Poverty by Age, 2007 and 2012

Figure 1c.  Number of Poor Children by Age, 2007 and 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in Child Poverty by Race and Ethnicity

• Since 2007 poverty increased steeply for Black Children, Hispanic children, and children of two or more races.
• The child poverty rate increased most, by 5.2 percentage points each, for Hispanic children and children identified with two or more races between 2007 and 2012.
• The highest child poverty rates in 2007 and 2012 were experienced by Black children at 34.5 percent and 37.9 percent, respectively.
• The number of white non-Hispanic children in poverty grew by about 500,000 from 2007 to 2012. Over the same period the number of poor Hispanic children increased by 1.5 million for a total of 6 million Hispanic children living in poverty, the largest number of any group.

Figure 2a. Child Poverty by Race and Ethnicity, 2007 and 2012

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

 

Figure 2b. Child Poverty by Race and Ethnicity, 2007 and 2012

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

Figure 2c. Number of Poor Children by Race and Ethnicity, 2007 and 2012

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

Change in Child Poverty by Family Type

• Children in single-parent families experienced a greater increase in poverty than their peers in married couple families since the start of the Great Recession.
• Between 2007 and 2012, poverty increased by 4.1 and 4.6 percentage points, respectively, for children in male-headed families and female-headed families.
• Since 2007 the number of poor children in female-headed families increased by 1.3 million and totaled 9.4 million poor children in 2012.
• Since 2007 the number of poor children in married families increased by 1.1 million for a total of 5.4 million in 2012.

Figure 3a. Child Poverty by Family Type, 2007 and 2012

 

 

 

 

 

	Married Family	Male-headed family	Female-headed family
2007	8.5	22.3	41.8
2008	9.8	22.8	42.2
2009	11.0	28.7	43.6
2010	11.6	28.4	45.8
2011	11.0	25.4	46.4
2012	11.1	26.4	46.4

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

 

Figure 3b. Child Poverty by Family Type, 2007 and 2012

	Married family	Male-headed family	Female-headed family
2007	8.5	22.3	41.8
2012	11.1	26.4	46.4

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

Figure 3c. Number of Poor Children by Family Type, 2007 and 2012

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

Change in Child Poverty by Immigrant Generation

• Both prior to and since the Great Recession, third and later generation children have had lower poverty rates than their peers in immigrant families.
• First generation children (the foreign-born) had higher poverty rates than the second generation (children born to foreign-born parents) from 2007 through 2011.
• Second generation children experienced the most poverty increase between 2007 and 2012 at 5.7 percentage points.
• Following the Great Recession, child poverty fell more among the first generation. By 2012, the poverty rate for both first and second generation children was 27.9 percent.
• Most poor children in 2012 were either second generation (4.4 million) or third and later generation (10.9 million) with a small minority in the first generation (800,000).

Figure 4a. Child Poverty by Immigrant Generation, 2007 and 2012

	1st Generation	2nd Generation	3rd+ Generation
2007	26.8	22.2	16.4
2008	29.1	24.7	17.0
2009	28.9	27.4	18.5
2010	32.1	30.1	19.2
2011	29.6	27.8	19.8
2012	27.9	27.9	19.7

 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements, 2008-2013.

Figure 4b. Child Poverty by Immigrant Generation, 2007 and 2012

	1st Generation	2nd Generation	3rd+ Generation
2007	26.8	22.2	16.4
2012	27.9	27.9	19.7

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

 

Figure 4c.  Number of Poor Children by Immigrant Generation, 2007 and 2012

	1st Generation	2nd Generation	3rd+ Generation
2007	0.9	3.2	9.2
2012	0.8	4.4	10.9

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.