Census Bureau: Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates Released for States, Counties, and School Districts

The median estimated poverty rate for school-age children in all U.S. school districts in 2020 was 13.2%, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The new data come from the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program, which provides the only up-to-date, single-year income and poverty statistics for the nation’s 3,142 counties and 13,163 school districts. 

SAIPE statistics are used to allocate funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. School districts receive Title I funds based on their number and percentage of low-income children. The U.S. Department of Education plans to use the 2020 estimates to calculate fiscal year 2022 allocations for Title I and several other federal education programs to provide funding to states and school districts in the 2022-2023 school year.

Additional tables provide statistics on median household income; the number of people of all ages in poverty; the number of children younger than age 5 in poverty at the state level; the number of children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty; and the number of children younger than age 18 in poverty. At the school district level, estimates are available for the total population, the number of children ages 5 to 17, and the number of children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty.

Income: 

• In 2020, county-level median household income ranged from $22,901 to $160,305, with a median income of $55,150 for all counties.
• Compared with 2019, 8.1% of counties had a statistically significant increase and 3.0% had a statistically significant decrease in median household income in 2020.
• Compared with 2007, the year before the Great Recession, 24.2% of counties had a statistically significant increase and 1.9% had a statistically significant decrease in median household income in 2020.

Poverty: 

• In 2020, the county-level poverty rate ranged from 3.0% to 43.9%, with a median poverty rate of 12.8% for all counties.
• Compared with 2019, 6.1% of counties had a statistically significant decrease and 1.1% had a statistically significant increase in poverty in 2020. 
• Compared with 2007, 11.0% of counties had a statistically significant decrease and 1.5% had a statistically significant increase in poverty in 2020.
• The county-level poverty rate for school-age children (ages 5 to 17) ranged between 2.2% and 66.7%, with a median rate of 16.6% in 2020.