Errors were found in this report; data in table 4 were corrected. More information is at www.bls.gov/bls/errata/corrected-working-poor-data.htm.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
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A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Table A
Poverty status of people and primary families in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2007–2012
(Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic
Total in the labor force1
In poverty
Workingpoor rate
Unrelated individuals
In poverty
Workingpoor rate
Primary families2
In poverty
Workingpoor rate
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
146,567
7,521
5.1
33,226
2,558
7.7
147,838
8,883
6.0
32,785
3,275
10.0
147,902
10,391
7.0
33,798
3,947
11.7
146,859
10,512
7.2
34,099
3,947
11.6
147,475
10,382
7.0
33,731
3,621
10.7
148,735
10,612
7.1
34,810
3,851
11.1
65,158
4,169
6.4
65,907
4,538
6.9
65,467
5,193
7.9
64,931
5,269
8.1
66,225
5,469
8.3
66,541
5,478
8.2
1. Includes individuals in families, not shown separately.
2. Primary families with at least one member in the labor force for more than half the year.
Note: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).
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A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Chart 1
Working-poor rate of people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1986–2012
Percent
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).
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A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Chart 2
Working-poor rates of people in the labor force for 27 weeks or more by race and Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity, 2012
Percent
16.0
13.8
13.6
12.0
8.0
7.1
6.2
4.9
4.0
0.0
Total
White
Black or African
American
Asian
Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity
Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).
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BLS Reports Ň March 2014‡ www.bls.gov
A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Table 1. People in the labor force: poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 2012
(Numbers in thousands)
27 weeks or more in the labor force
Poverty status and work experience
Total in the labor force
Total
50 to 52 weeks
161,707
5,513
156,194
122,407
33,787
10,256
23,531
148,735
3,433
145,302
118,095
27,207
9,044
18,163
136,145
3,016
133,129
111,162
21,966
7,831
14,135
148,557
3,328
145,229
116,696
28,532
7,611
20,921
138,124
2,004
136,119
113,118
23,001
6,698
16,303
127,007
1,748
125,258
106,787
18,471
5,775
12,696
13,150
2,184
10,965
5,711
5,255
2,645
2,610
10,612
1,429
9,182
4,977
4,205
2,345
1,860
9,138
1,268
7,870
4,375
3,495
2,056
1,439
8.1
39.6
7.0
4.7
15.6
25.8
11.1
7.1
41.6
6.3
4.2
15.5
25.9
10.2
6.7
42.0
5.9
3.9
15.9
26.3
10.2
Total
Total in the labor force ..........................................................................
Did not work during the year ...............................................................
Worked during the year ......................................................................
Usual full-time workers .....................................................................
Usual part-time workers ....................................................................
Involuntary part-time workers .........................................................
Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................
At or above poverty level
Total in the labor force ..........................................................................
Did not work during the year ...............................................................
Worked during the year ......................................................................
Usual full-time workers .....................................................................
Usual part-time workers ....................................................................
Involuntary part-time workers .........................................................
Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................
Below poverty level
Total in the labor force ..........................................................................
Did not work during the year ...............................................................
Worked during the year ......................................................................
Usual full-time workers .....................................................................
Usual part-time workers ....................................................................
Involuntary part-time workers .........................................................
Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................
Rate1
Total in the labor force ..........................................................................
Did not work during the year ...............................................................
Worked during the year ......................................................................
Usual full-time workers .....................................................................
Usual part-time workers ....................................................................
Involuntary part-time workers .........................................................
Voluntary part-time workers ............................................................
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
8
BLS Reports Ň March 2014‡ www.bls.gov
A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Table 2. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity, 2012
(Numbers in thousands)
Below poverty level
Age and gender
Total
Black or
African
American
White
Total, 16 years and older .................. 148,735 118,575
16 to 19 years .......................................
3,293
2,608
20 to 24 years ....................................... 13,302 10,133
25 to 34 years ....................................... 32,477 25,000
35 to 44 years ....................................... 31,942 24,760
45 to 54 years ....................................... 34,117 27,620
55 to 64 years ....................................... 25,289 21,251
65 years and older ................................
8,316
7,203
Asian
Hispanic
or Latino
ethnicity
Total
White
Black or
African
American
Asian
Hispanic
or Latino
ethnicity
17,632
414
1,990
4,201
4,043
3,938
2,387
659
8,203
111
573
2,044
2,157
1,782
1,210
326
23,048
601
2,850
6,352
5,842
4,547
2,272
584
10,612
425
1,840
3,185
2,350
1,680
981
150
7,322
307
1,223
2,169
1,646
1,160
708
109
2,394
92
485
746
517
345
185
23
403
11
47
89
95
97
54
10
3,169
97
472
985
883
484
193
56
Men, 16 years and older ...................
16 to 19 years .......................................
20 to 24 years .......................................
25 to 34 years .......................................
35 to 44 years .......................................
45 to 54 years .......................................
55 to 64 years .......................................
65 years and older ................................
79,303
1,619
7,025
17,583
17,354
17,962
13,070
4,691
64,497
1,300
5,516
13,827
13,803
14,795
11,134
4,123
8,181
180
921
1,982
1,842
1,819
1,108
331
4,354
63
278
1,115
1,174
944
609
171
13,373
319
1,621
3,846
3,438
2,567
1,261
321
5,112
197
857
1,443
1,206
847
489
72
3,770
143
601
1,067
924
609
374
52
930
43
199
270
191
136
80
11
194
6
16
38
39
65
24
6
1,756
50
248
528
531
270
104
24
Women, 16 years and older .............
16 to 19 years .......................................
20 to 24 years .......................................
25 to 34 years .......................................
35 to 44 years .......................................
45 to 54 years .......................................
55 to 64 years .......................................
65 years and older ................................
69,433
1,674
6,277
14,894
14,588
16,155
12,220
3,625
54,078
1,308
4,617
11,174
10,957
12,825
10,117
3,080
9,451
234
1,069
2,220
2,201
2,119
1,279
329
3,850
48
295
929
982
838
602
155
9,675
283
1,229
2,506
2,403
1,980
1,011
263
5,499
228
983
1,742
1,144
833
492
78
3,552
164
622
1,103
722
550
333
58
1,464
49
287
476
326
210
105
12
209
5
31
51
56
32
31
3
1,414
48
224
457
352
213
89
32
Rate1
Age and gender
Black or
African
American
White
Total, 16 years and older ..................
16 to 19 years .......................................
20 to 24 years .......................................
25 to 34 years .......................................
35 to 44 years .......................................
45 to 54 years .......................................
55 to 64 years .......................................
65 years and older ................................
7.1
12.9
13.8
9.8
7.4
4.9
3.9
1.8
6.2
11.8
12.1
8.7
6.6
4.2
3.3
1.5
13.6
22.3
24.4
17.8
12.8
8.8
7.8
3.5
4.9
10.1
8.2
4.3
4.4
5.4
4.5
3.0
13.8
16.2
16.6
15.5
15.1
10.6
8.5
9.5
Men, 16 years and older ...................
16 to 19 years .......................................
20 to 24 years .......................................
25 to 34 years .......................................
35 to 44 years .......................................
45 to 54 years .......................................
55 to 64 years .......................................
65 years and older ................................
6.4
12.2
12.2
8.2
7.0
4.7
3.7
1.5
5.8
11.0
10.9
7.7
6.7
4.1
3.4
1.3
11.4
24.1
21.6
13.6
10.4
7.5
7.2
3.4
4.4
(2)
5.7
3.4
3.3
6.9
3.9
3.6
13.1
15.5
15.3
13.7
15.4
10.5
8.3
7.5
Women, 16 years and older .............
16 to 19 years .......................................
20 to 24 years .......................................
25 to 34 years .......................................
35 to 44 years .......................................
45 to 54 years .......................................
55 to 64 years .......................................
65 years and older ................................
7.9
13.6
15.7
11.7
7.8
5.2
4.0
2.2
6.6
12.5
13.5
9.9
6.6
4.3
3.3
1.9
15.5
20.9
26.8
21.4
14.8
9.9
8.2
3.5
5.4
(2)
10.5
5.4
5.7
3.8
5.1
2.2
14.6
16.9
18.2
18.2
14.6
10.8
8.8
12.0
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the
labor force for 27 weeks or more.
2 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.
Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African
American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not
BLS Reports Ň March 2014‡ www.bls.gov
Asian
Hispanic or
Latino
ethnicity
Total
presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as
Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash represents or rounds to
zero.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Table 3. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by educational attainment, race, Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity, and gender, 2012
(Numbers in thousands)
Educational attainment, race, and
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Total, 16 years and older .........................
Less than a high school diploma ................
Less than 1 year of high school ...............
1–3 years of high school ..........................
4 years of high school, no diploma ..........
High school graduates, no college2 ............
Some college or associate’s degree ...........
Some college, no degree .........................
Associate’s degree ..................................
Bachelor’s degree and higher3 ...................
148,735
13,132
4,247
7,160
1,725
40,616
44,251
28,388
15,863
50,737
79,303
8,260
2,884
4,311
1,066
23,263
21,841
14,540
7,301
25,938
69,433
4,871
1,364
2,848
659
17,352
22,410
13,848
8,563
24,798
10,612
2,781
926
1,520
335
3,805
2,970
2,199
771
1,055
5,112
1,572
584
795
192
1,898
1,167
896
271
475
5,499
1,209
342
724
143
1,907
1,803
1,303
500
581
7.1
21.2
21.8
21.2
19.4
9.4
6.7
7.7
4.9
2.1
6.4
19.0
20.3
18.5
18.0
8.2
5.3
6.2
3.7
1.8
7.9
24.8
25.1
25.4
21.6
11.0
8.0
9.4
5.8
2.3
White, 16 years and older ........................
Less than a high school diploma ................
Less than 1 year of high school ...............
1–3 years of high school ..........................
4 years of high school, no diploma ..........
High school graduates, no college2 ............
Some college or associate’s degree ...........
Some college, no degree .........................
Associate’s degree ..................................
Bachelor’s degree and higher3 ...................
118,575
10,472
3,568
5,611
1,293
32,245
34,969
22,041
12,928
40,889
64,497
6,805
2,504
3,480
821
18,879
17,624
11,642
5,982
21,189
54,078
3,667
1,064
2,131
473
13,366
17,344
10,399
6,946
19,700
7,322
2,054
769
1,054
231
2,511
1,985
1,436
549
772
3,770
1,233
502
595
136
1,340
847
627
220
349
3,552
821
267
459
95
1,171
1,138
809
329
422
6.2
19.6
21.5
18.8
17.9
7.8
5.7
6.5
4.2
1.9
5.8
18.1
20.0
17.1
16.6
7.1
4.8
5.4
3.7
1.6
6.6
22.4
25.1
21.5
20.0
8.8
6.6
7.8
4.7
2.1
Black or African American, 16 years and
older .....................................................
Less than a high school diploma ................
Less than 1 year of high school ...............
1–3 years of high school ..........................
4 years of high school, no diploma ..........
High school graduates, no college2 ............
Some college or associate’s degree ...........
Some college, no degree .........................
Associate’s degree ..................................
Bachelor’s degree and higher3 ...................
17,632
1,585
294
999
293
5,662
6,148
4,333
1,815
4,238
8,181
845
164
521
160
2,909
2,670
1,910
760
1,757
9,451
740
130
478
133
2,752
3,477
2,422
1,055
2,481
2,394
513
88
343
82
979
739
584
156
163
930
230
41
142
47
411
228
200
28
61
1,464
283
47
201
35
568
511
383
128
102
13.6
32.3
30.0
34.3
28.0
17.3
12.0
13.5
8.6
3.8
11.4
27.2
24.7
27.3
29.5
14.1
8.5
10.5
3.6
3.5
15.5
38.2
36.6
41.9
26.2
20.6
14.7
15.8
12.1
4.1
Asian, 16 years and older ........................
Less than a high school diploma ................
Less than 1 year of high school ...............
1–3 years of high school ..........................
4 years of high school, no diploma ..........
High school graduates, no college2 ............
Some college or associate’s degree ...........
Some college, no degree .........................
Associate’s degree ..................................
Bachelor’s degree and higher3 ...................
8,203
543
210
248
86
1,414
1,631
999
632
4,615
4,354
268
88
127
52
728
831
515
316
2,527
3,850
276
121
121
34
686
800
484
316
2,088
403
86
32
42
12
128
92
64
28
97
194
42
21
18
4
60
34
24
11
57
209
44
12
24
8
68
57
40
17
40
4.9
15.9
15.5
16.9
13.8
9.1
5.6
6.4
4.4
2.1
4.4
15.8
23.3
14.1
(4)
8.2
4.1
4.6
3.4
2.3
5.4
15.9
9.7
20.0
4
( )
10.0
7.2
8.3
5.4
1.9
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and
older ......................................................
Less than a high school diploma ................
Less than 1 year of high school ...............
1–3 years of high school ..........................
4 years of high school, no diploma ..........
High school graduates, no college2 ............
Some college or associate’s degree ...........
Some college, no degree .........................
Associate’s degree ..................................
Bachelor’s degree and higher3 ...................
23,048
6,452
3,157
2,631
664
7,258
5,712
3,938
1,775
3,626
13,373
4,376
2,212
1,724
439
4,397
2,811
2,025
787
1,790
9,675
2,077
945
906
225
2,861
2,901
1,913
988
1,836
3,169
1,529
769
602
158
1,008
468
340
128
164
1,756
951
499
362
90
564
179
130
50
61
1,414
578
270
240
68
444
289
211
78
103
13.8
23.7
24.3
22.9
23.7
13.9
8.2
8.6
7.2
4.5
13.1
21.7
22.5
21.0
20.4
12.8
6.4
6.4
6.3
3.4
14.6
27.8
28.5
26.5
30.2
15.5
10.0
11.0
7.9
5.6
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor
force for 27 weeks or more.
2 Includes people with a high school diploma or equivalent.
3 Includes people with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and
doctoral degrees.
4 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.
10
Rate1
Below poverty level
Total
Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African
American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented
for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may
be of any race.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
BLS Reports Ň March 2014‡ www.bls.gov
This revised table corrects errors in data by occupation. More information is at www.bls.gov/bls/errata/corrected-working-poor-data.htm.
Table 4. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year: poverty status by occupation of longest job
held, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2012
(Numbers in thousands)
Rate1
Below poverty level
Occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Total
Men
Women
Total
Total, 16 years and older2 .......................................... 145,302
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
77,357
67,945
9,178
4,313
4,864
6.3
5.6
7.2
54,470
26,475
27,995
1,114
454
659
2.0
1.7
2.4
22,807
31,663
25,974
33,838
15,280
18,558
12,769
13,706
11,507
12,776
7,913
4,863
10,038
17,957
14,467
21,062
7,368
13,694
389
725
3,537
2,075
1,184
891
209
245
1,283
610
368
242
180
479
2,253
1,465
816
650
1.7
2.3
13.6
6.1
7.7
4.8
1.6
1.8
11.2
4.8
4.7
5.0
1.8
2.7
15.6
7.0
11.1
4.7
13,500
963
7,560
4,978
12,923
751
7,398
4,774
577
211
162
204
1,076
144
743
190
1,021
107
726
188
55
37
17
2
8.0
14.9
9.8
3.8
7.9
14.2
9.8
3.9
9.5
17.4
10.4
.8
17,392
8,504
8,888
13,579
6,172
7,406
3,813
2,332
1,482
1,374
602
771
942
363
579
431
239
193
7.9
7.1
8.7
6.9
5.9
7.8
11.3
10.2
13.0
White, 16 years and older2 ......................................... 116,308
63,182
53,126
6,446
3,269
3,177
5.5
5.2
6.0
Management, professional, and related occupations ....
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations ..............................................................
Professional and related occupations ..........................
Service occupations ......................................................
Sales and office occupations .........................................
Sales and related occupations ....................................
Office and administrative support occupations ............
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations ..............................................................
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................
Construction and extraction occupations .....................
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......
Production, transportation, and material-moving
occupations ..............................................................
Production occupations ...............................................
Transportation and material-moving occupations ........
Management, professional, and related occupations ....
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations ..............................................................
Professional and related occupations ..........................
Service occupations ......................................................
Sales and office occupations .........................................
Sales and related occupations ....................................
Office and administrative support occupations ............
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations ..............................................................
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................
Construction and extraction occupations .....................
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......
Production, transportation, and material-moving
occupations ..............................................................
Production occupations ...............................................
Transportation and material-moving occupations ........
44,640
21,979
22,661
820
365
455
1.8
1.7
2.0
19,243
25,397
19,345
26,982
12,357
14,626
11,048
10,931
8,774
10,340
6,603
3,738
8,194
14,466
10,571
16,642
5,754
10,888
299
521
2,427
1,353
782
570
162
203
948
420
250
170
137
318
1,479
933
532
401
1.6
2.1
12.5
5.0
6.3
3.9
1.5
1.9
10.8
4.1
3.8
4.5
1.7
2.2
14.0
5.6
9.3
3.7
11,785
804
6,665
4,315
11,296
632
6,522
4,142
489
172
143
174
896
115
622
159
847
85
605
157
49
31
17
2
7.6
14.3
9.3
3.7
7.5
13.4
9.3
3.8
10.0
17.8
11.6
.9
13,476
6,676
6,800
10,729
5,009
5,720
2,747
1,667
1,080
949
429
520
688
277
411
260
152
109
7.0
6.4
7.6
6.4
5.5
7.2
9.5
9.1
10.1
Black or African American, 16 years and older2 .........
16,821
7,754
9,067
1,967
702
1,266
11.7
9.0
14.0
Management, professional, and related occupations ....
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations ..............................................................
Professional and related occupations ..........................
Service occupations ......................................................
Sales and office occupations .........................................
Sales and related occupations ....................................
Office and administrative support occupations ............
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations ..............................................................
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................
Construction and extraction occupations .....................
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......
Production, transportation, and material-moving
occupations ..............................................................
Production occupations ...............................................
Transportation and material-moving occupations ........
4,672
1,771
2,902
205
50
155
4.4
2.8
5.4
1,689
2,983
4,245
4,228
1,637
2,591
723
1,048
1,702
1,370
653
716
967
1,935
2,544
2,858
983
1,874
55
150
810
528
290
238
28
21
234
115
64
51
27
128
576
414
226
187
3.3
5.0
19.1
12.5
17.7
9.2
3.9
2.0
13.8
8.4
9.8
7.1
2.8
6.6
22.6
14.5
23.0
10.0
1,012
87
520
405
956
60
512
384
56
27
8
21
115
13
81
22
110
8
80
22
5
5
11.4
15.0
15.5
5.3
11.5
(3)
15.7
5.6
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
2,637
1,051
1,586
1,940
672
1,268
697
379
318
308
121
187
192
61
131
115
59
56
11.7
11.5
11.8
9.9
9.1
10.3
16.5
15.7
17.6
See footnotes at end of table.
–
–
Table 4. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year: poverty status by occupation of longest job
held, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and gender, 2012 — Continued
(Numbers in thousands)
Rate1
Below poverty level
Occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Asian, 16 years and older2 .........................................
8,000
4,244
3,756
343
164
179
4.3
3.9
4.8
Management, professional, and related occupations ....
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations ..............................................................
Professional and related occupations ..........................
Service occupations ......................................................
Sales and office occupations .........................................
Sales and related occupations ....................................
Office and administrative support occupations ............
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations ..............................................................
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................
Construction and extraction occupations .....................
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......
Production, transportation, and material-moving
occupations ..............................................................
Production occupations ...............................................
Transportation and material-moving occupations ........
3,953
2,184
1,769
56
33
23
1.4
1.5
1.3
1,381
2,572
1,399
1,627
842
784
756
1,427
590
713
471
242
625
1,145
809
914
372
542
26
30
127
91
63
28
19
14
38
51
43
8
7
16
89
40
20
20
1.9
1.2
9.1
5.6
7.4
3.6
2.5
1.0
6.5
7.1
9.1
3.3
1.2
1.4
10.9
4.4
5.4
3.7
263
20
113
131
248
12
109
127
15
7
4
4
4.8
(3)
7.9
2.9
5.1
(3)
8.2
2.9
745
504
240
500
299
202
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and older2 .......
22,472
Management, professional, and related occupations ....
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations ..............................................................
Professional and related occupations ..........................
Service occupations ......................................................
Sales and office occupations .........................................
Sales and related occupations ....................................
Office and administrative support occupations ............
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations ..............................................................
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................
Construction and extraction occupations .....................
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......
Production, transportation, and material-moving
occupations ..............................................................
Production occupations ...............................................
Transportation and material-moving occupations ........
13
–
13
–
–
–
–
–
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
9
4
9
4
244
206
38
56
29
27
29
13
17
27
16
10
7.6
5.8
11.2
5.9
4.3
8.2
11.0
8.0
(3)
13,016
9,456
2,879
1,584
1,295
12.8
12.2
13.7
4,436
2,002
2,434
169
56
113
3.8
2.8
4.6
1,899
2,537
6,032
4,751
2,156
2,595
975
1,026
2,952
1,832
1,033
800
923
1,511
3,080
2,919
1,124
1,795
79
90
1,215
462
220
242
38
18
543
113
52
61
41
72
672
349
168
181
4.2
3.5
20.1
9.7
10.2
9.3
3.9
1.7
18.4
6.1
5.0
7.6
4.4
4.8
21.8
12.0
14.9
10.1
3,502
430
2,273
800
3,365
342
2,243
780
137
87
30
20
554
89
384
81
534
72
380
81
20
16
3
15.8
20.6
16.9
10.1
15.9
21.1
17.0
10.4
14.5
18.8
(3)
(3)
3,738
1,878
1,859
2,859
1,308
1,551
878
570
308
480
214
265
338
134
204
141
80
62
12.8
11.4
14.3
11.8
10.3
13.1
16.1
14.0
20.0
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor
force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year.
2 Includes the long-term unemployed with no previous work experience
and a small number of people whose last job was in the Armed Forces.
3 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.
–
Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or African
American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented
for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may
be of any race. Dash represents or rounds to zero.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Table 5. Primary families: poverty status, presence of related children, and work experience of family members
in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 2012
(Numbers in thousands)
Total families
At or above
poverty level
Total primary families ................................................
66,541
61,063
5,478
8.2
With related children under 18 years ................................
Without children ................................................................
35,003
31,538
30,450
30,613
4,554
924
13.0
2.9
With one member in the labor force ..................................
With two or more members in the labor force ...................
With two members ..........................................................
With three or more members ..........................................
28,836
37,705
31,683
6,022
24,369
36,694
30,786
5,907
4,467
1,011
896
115
15.5
2.7
2.8
1.9
Married-couple families .............................................
49,118
46,806
2,312
4.7
With related children under 18 years ................................
Without children ................................................................
24,353
24,765
22,520
24,285
1,833
479
7.5
1.9
With one member in the labor force ..................................
Husband ..........................................................................
Wife .................................................................................
Relative ...........................................................................
With two or more members in the labor force ...................
With two members ..........................................................
With three or more members ..........................................
17,067
12,139
4,185
744
32,050
27,221
4,829
15,423
10,883
3,901
639
31,383
26,631
4,752
1,644
1,256
283
105
668
590
77
9.6
10.3
6.8
14.1
2.1
2.2
1.6
Families maintained by women .................................
12,075
9,542
2,532
21.0
With related children under 18 years ................................
Without children ................................................................
7,817
4,257
5,582
3,960
2,235
297
28.6
7.0
With one member in the labor force ..................................
Householder ....................................................................
Relative ...........................................................................
With two or more members in the labor force ...................
8,461
6,985
1,476
3,614
6,194
4,985
1,209
3,348
2,267
2,000
267
265
26.8
28.6
18.1
7.3
Families maintained by men .....................................
5,349
4,715
634
11.9
With related children under 18 years ................................
Without children ................................................................
2,833
2,516
2,347
2,368
486
148
17.2
5.9
With one member in the labor force ..................................
Householder ....................................................................
Relative ...........................................................................
With two or more members in the labor force ...................
3,308
2,715
593
2,041
2,752
2,261
491
1,963
556
453
102
78
16.8
16.7
17.3
3.8
Characteristic
Below poverty
level
Rate1
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
Note: Data relate to primary families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
BLS Reports Ň March 2014‡ www.bls.gov
13
A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Table 6. People in families and unrelated individuals: poverty status and work experience, 2012
(Numbers in thousands)
In married-couple families
Poverty status and work experience
Total
people
In families maintained by
men
Householder
Related
children
under
18
years
Unrelated
individuals
Other
relatives
Householder
Related
children
under
18
years
5,746
1,478
919
559
4,269
20,666
12,936
2,712
10,224
7,730
15,455
10,921
754
10,168
4,533
2,252
445
282
163
1,807
13,199
7,887
1,006
6,881
5,312
6,206
4,782
236
4,546
1,424
643
99
58
40
545
6,216
4,004
366
3,638
2,212
56,884
37,312
2,502
34,810
19,572
55,474
35,974
2,410
33,564
19,500
5,269
1,421
880
541
3,848
19,359
12,450
2,615
9,835
6,909
10,666
8,243
300
7,943
2,423
1,528
352
218
134
1,177
10,705
7,006
780
6,226
3,699
5,188
4,193
165
4,028
994
525
89
52
37
436
5,488
3,736
298
3,437
1,753
44,035
32,343
1,383
30,959
11,693
3,676
2,040
155
1,885
1,636
3,704
1,079
240
839
2,626
477
57
38
18
421
1,307
486
97
389
821
4,788
2,678
453
2,225
2,110
724
94
65
29
631
2,494
881
226
655
1,613
1,018
589
71
518
430
119
10
7
–
109
728
268
67
201
460
12,849
4,970
1,119
3,851
7,879
6.3
4.6
10.4
4.4
11.9
6.3
2.9
9.1
2.4
11.9
8.3
3.8
4.2
3.3
9.9
6.3
3.8
3.6
3.8
10.6
31.0
24.5
60.1
21.9
46.6
18.9
11.2
22.4
9.5
30.4
16.4
12.3
30.1
11.4
30.2
Husbands
Wives
58,546
44,790
1,486
43,304
13,757
59,178
37,053
2,650
34,403
22,125
54,870
42,750
1,331
41,419
12,121
31,885
13,150
2,538
10,612
18,735
13.0
8.1
19.6
7.1
22.5
Related
children
under
18
years
In families maintained by
women
Other
relatives
Other
relatives
Total
All people1 .................................. 244,993
With labor force activity .................. 161,707
1 to 26 weeks ............................... 12,972
27 weeks or more ........................ 148,735
With no labor force activity ............. 83,287
At or above poverty level
All people1 .................................. 213,108
With labor force activity .................. 148,557
1 to 26 weeks ............................... 10,433
27 weeks or more ........................ 138,124
With no labor force activity ............. 64,551
Below poverty level
All people1 ..................................
With labor force activity ..................
1 to 26 weeks ...............................
27 weeks or more ........................
With no labor force activity .............
Rate2
All people1 ..................................
With labor force activity ..................
1 to 26 weeks ...............................
27 weeks or more ........................
With no labor force activity .............
32.1
21.0
22.9
17.7
34.9
18.5
9.9
(3)
(3)
20.0
11.7
6.7
18.4
5.5
20.8
22.6
13.3
44.7
11.1
40.3
1 Data on families include primary families that own or rent the housing unit as well as related and unrelated subfamilies that reside with them.
2 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total.
3 Data not shown where base is less than 80,000.
Note: Dash represents or rounds to zero.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
14
BLS Reports Ň March 2014‡ www.bls.gov
A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status by age, gender, race, Hispanic
or Latino ethnicity, and living arrangement, 2012
(Numbers in thousands)
Total
At or above
poverty level
Total unrelated individuals ............................................................................
16 to 19 years ...................................................................................................
20 to 24 years ...................................................................................................
25 to 64 years ...................................................................................................
65 years and older ............................................................................................
34,810
348
4,171
28,174
2,116
30,959
183
3,243
25,485
2,047
3,851
165
928
2,689
69
11.1
47.3
22.2
9.5
3.3
Men ...................................................................................................................
Women .............................................................................................................
19,352
15,458
17,357
13,603
1,995
1,856
10.3
12.0
White ...............................................................................................................
Men ................................................................................................................
Women ..........................................................................................................
27,548
15,497
12,052
24,701
14,010
10,691
2,847
1,487
1,361
10.3
9.6
11.3
Black or African American ...............................................................................
Men ................................................................................................................
Women ..........................................................................................................
4,748
2,460
2,289
4,023
2,074
1,950
725
386
339
15.3
15.7
14.8
Asian ................................................................................................................
Men ................................................................................................................
Women ..........................................................................................................
1,415
783
632
1,305
744
561
110
39
71
7.8
5.0
11.2
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ...............................................................................
Men ................................................................................................................
Women ..........................................................................................................
4,682
2,989
1,692
3,891
2,559
1,332
791
431
360
16.9
14.4
21.3
17,814
16,996
16,461
14,498
1,354
2,497
7.6
14.7
Characteristic
Below poverty
level
Rate1
Age and gender
Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Living arrangement
Living alone ......................................................................................................
Living with others ..............................................................................................
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the
labor force for 27 weeks or more.
Note: Estimates for the race groups shown (White, Black or
African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are
BLS Reports Ň March 2014‡ www.bls.gov
not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as
Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
15
A PROFILE OF THE WORKING POOR, 2012
Table 8. People in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: poverty status and labor market problems of full-time wage
and salary workers, 2012
(Numbers in thousands)
Total
At or above
poverty level
Total, full-time wage and salary workers .....................................................
111,951
107,560
4,391
3.9
No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings2 .........
90,879
90,159
720
.8
Unemployment only ..........................................................................................
Involuntary part-time employment only .............................................................
Low earnings only .............................................................................................
6,454
2,731
7,448
5,960
2,665
5,699
494
67
1,749
7.7
2.4
23.5
Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment ....................................
Unemployment and low earnings .....................................................................
Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings ........................................
1,341
1,676
857
1,200
931
647
141
746
210
10.5
44.5
24.5
Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings .............
564
299
265
46.9
Unemployment (alone or with other problems) .................................................
Involuntary part-time employment (alone or with other problems) ...................
Low earnings (alone or with other problems) ...................................................
10,035
5,493
10,545
8,390
4,811
7,576
1,646
682
2,970
16.4
12.4
28.2
Labor market problems
Below poverty
level
Rate1
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
2 The low-earnings threshold in 2012 was $337.92 per week.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
16
BLS Reports Ň March 2014‡ www.bls.gov
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