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Basic Facts About Low-income Children: Children Under 3 Years, 2011

Addy, Sophia D.; Englehardt, William; Skinner, Curtis

Children represent 24 percent of the population, but they comprise 34 percent of all people in poverty.1 Among all children, 45 percent live in low-income families and approximately one in every five (22 percent) live in poor families. Our very youngest children, infants and toddlers under 3 years of age, appear to be particularly vulnerable, with 49 percent living in low-income families, including 26 percent living in poor families. Being a child in a low-income or poor family does not happen by chance. There are a range of factors associated with children’s experiences of economic insecurity, including race/ethnicity and parents’ educational attainment and employment. This fact sheet describes the demographic, socio-economic, and geographic characteristics of children and their parents. It highlights important factors that appear to distinguish low-income and poor children from their less disadvantaged counterparts.

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National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University

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National Center for Children in Poverty
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February 22, 2019