In 2019, child poverty rates had dropped among all major racial and ethnic groups
% of children living in poverty, by race and ethnicity
| Year | Asian | White | Hispanic | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 9.8% | 30.2% | 40.6% | |
| 1977 | 9.9% | 28.3% | 41.8% | |
| 1978 | 9.6% | 27.6% | 41.5% | |
| 1979 | 10.1% | 28.0% | 41.2% | |
| 1980 | 11.8% | 33.2% | 42.3% | |
| 1981 | 12.9% | 35.9% | 45.2% | |
| 1982 | 14.4% | 39.5% | 47.6% | |
| 1983 | 14.8% | 38.1% | 46.7% | |
| 1984 | 13.7% | 39.2% | 46.6% | |
| 1985 | 12.8% | 40.3% | 43.6% | |
| 1986 | 13.0% | 37.7% | 43.1% | |
| 1987 | 23.5% | 11.8% | 39.3% | 45.1% |
| 1988 | 24.1% | 11.0% | 37.6% | 43.5% |
| 1989 | 19.8% | 11.5% | 36.2% | 43.7% |
| 1990 | 17.6% | 12.3% | 38.4% | 44.8% |
| 1991 | 17.5% | 13.1% | 40.4% | 45.9% |
| 1992 | 16.4% | 13.2% | 40.0% | 46.6% |
| 1993 | 18.2% | 13.6% | 40.9% | 46.1% |
| 1994 | 18.3% | 12.5% | 41.5% | 43.8% |
| 1995 | 19.5% | 11.2% | 40.0% | 41.9% |
| 1996 | 19.5% | 11.1% | 40.3% | 39.9% |
| 1997 | 20.3% | 11.4% | 36.8% | 37.2% |
| 1998 | 18.0% | 10.6% | 34.4% | 36.7% |
| 1999 | 11.9% | 9.4% | 30.3% | 33.2% |
| 2000 | 12.7% | 9.1% | 28.4% | 31.2% |
| 2001 | 11.5% | 9.5% | 28.0% | 30.2% |
| 2002 | 11.7% | 9.4% | 28.6% | 32.3% |
| 2003 | 12.5% | 9.8% | 29.7% | 34.1% |
| 2004 | 9.9% | 10.5% | 28.9% | 33.7% |
| 2005 | 11.1% | 10.0% | 28.3% | 34.5% |
| 2006 | 12.2% | 10.0% | 26.9% | 33.4% |
| 2007 | 12.5% | 10.1% | 28.6% | 34.5% |
| 2008 | 14.6% | 10.6% | 30.6% | 34.7% |
| 2009 | 14.0% | 11.9% | 33.1% | 35.7% |
| 2010 | 14.4% | 12.3% | 34.9% | 39.0% |
| 2011 | 13.5% | 12.5% | 34.1% | 38.8% |
| 2012 | 13.8% | 12.3% | 33.8% | 37.9% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | 10.7% | 30.4% | 38.3% |
| 2014 | 14% | 12.3% | 31.9% | 37.1% |
| 2015 | 12.3% | 12.1% | 28.9% | 32.9% |
| 2016 | 11.1% | 10.8% | 26.6% | 30.8% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | 10.2% | 25.0% | 30.4% |
| 2018 | 11.3% | 8.9% | 23.7% | 29.5% |
| 2019 | 7.3% | 8.3% | 20.9% | 26.4% |
Note: Children include those who are younger than 18. White children include only those who report being one race and are not Hispanic. In 2001 and earlier, Asian Americans included Pacific Islanders. Data on Asian Americans not available prior to 1987. From 2002-2019, respondents could choose more than one race; White, Black and Asian children include only the single-race components of their populations in these years. Hispanics are of any race.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau historical poverty data, 1976-2019.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
