2013 Reports

Basic Facts About Low-income Children: Children Under 18 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 under 18 years of age, 45 percent live in low-income families and approximately one in every five (22 percent) live 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’ education and employment. This fact sheet describes the demographic, socio-economic, and geographic characteristics of children and their parents. It highlights the important factors that appear to distinguish low-income and poor children from their less disadvantaged counterparts.