Data on Poverty & Income

Poverty is a women’s issue. Nearly six in ten poor adults are women, and more than half of all poor children live in families headed by women. Poverty rates are especially high for single mothers, women of color, and elderly women living alone.

In addition to the resources below, please see NWLC's detailed analysis of the 2012 Census poverty data, as well as past reports on women's income and poverty rates.

Highlights

Reports & Toolkits | Insecure & Unequal: Poverty Among Women and Families 2000-2012

September 26, 2013

This report provides a gender analysis of national and state poverty and income data for 2012, released by the Census Bureau in September 2013.

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Fact Sheet | National Snapshot: Poverty Among Women & Families, 2012

September 18, 2013

The poverty rates for women, like poverty rates overall, remained at historically high levels in 2012, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released in September 2013. Women’ poverty rates were once again substantially above the poverty rates for men.

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Fact Sheet | FAQs about the Census Bureau’s Official Poverty Measure

September 19, 2013

Each year, the Census Bureau releases data on poverty and income in the United States, and the National Women’s Law Center analyzes these data to provide a picture of how women and their families are faring. The following frequently asked questions take a closer look at what the Census Bureau numbers tell us—and don’t tell us—about poverty.

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Infographics and Internet Memes | Women and Poverty, State by State

September 24, 2013

More than one in seven women, nearly 17.8 million, lived in poverty last year. Poverty rates were particularly high for families headed by single mothers – more than four in ten (40.9 percent) were poor. More than half (56.1 percent) of poor children lived in female-headed families in 2012.
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More Resources

Resource Page | Analysis of New 2010 Census Poverty Data – September 2011

September 08, 2011

NWLC Analysis of New Census Data Shows Record Numbers of Women in Poverty, Without Health Insurance

Updated September 22, 2011

Update: see also our state-by-state breakdown of poverty data.

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Reports & Toolkits | Protecting Programs for Low-Income People in Deficit Reduction Plans Is Vital to Women and Their Families

August 23, 2011

Women and their families should not bear the brunt of deficit reduction.  Any agreement on deficit reduction must neither cut low-income assistance programs directly nor subject these programs to future cuts under automatic enforcement mechanisms.  Increased revenues from those with the greatest ability to pay must be a major part of any deficit reduction plan.  Maintaining and strengthening programs like those described in this report protects the most vulnerable today and expands opportunity for a stronger shared future. 

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Reports & Toolkits | Poverty Among Women and Families, 2000-2009: Great Recession Brings Highest Rate in 15 Years

September 21, 2010

The latest Census Bureau data show a significant and alarming increase in poverty and extreme poverty among women, men and children in the United States in 2009. Poverty among women rose to 13.9 percent, up from 13.0 percent in 2008 — the highest rate in 15 years and the largest single-year increase since 1980.

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Reports & Toolkits | Poverty Among Women and Families, 2000-2008: Recession Deepens Poverty

September 15, 2009
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Reports & Toolkits | Poverty Among Women and Families, 2000-2007: Getting Worse Even Before the Downturn

September 15, 2008
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