In 2023, about 20.07 million women and 16.72 million men were living below the poverty line in the United States. The number of women living below the poverty line has always exceeded the number of men. Poverty numbers peaked in 2014, and declined until the year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States from 1990 to 2023, by gender
(in millions)
The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. A person under 65 living alone is considered poor, if the annual income is less than 11,945 U.S. dollars. This threshold is calculated for 2012.
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US Census Bureau. (September 12, 2024). Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States from 1990 to 2023, by gender (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 30, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/233145/number-of-people-living-below-the-poverty-in-the-us-by-gender/
US Census Bureau. "Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States from 1990 to 2023, by gender (in millions)." Chart. September 12, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/233145/number-of-people-living-below-the-poverty-in-the-us-by-gender/
US Census Bureau. (2024). Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States from 1990 to 2023, by gender (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/233145/number-of-people-living-below-the-poverty-in-the-us-by-gender/
US Census Bureau. "Number of People Living below The Poverty Line in The United States from 1990 to 2023, by Gender (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 12 Sep 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/233145/number-of-people-living-below-the-poverty-in-the-us-by-gender/
US Census Bureau, Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States from 1990 to 2023, by gender (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/233145/number-of-people-living-below-the-poverty-in-the-us-by-gender/ (last visited December 30, 2024)
Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States from 1990 to 2023, by gender (in millions) [Graph], US Census Bureau, September 12, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/233145/number-of-people-living-below-the-poverty-in-the-us-by-gender/