Poverty Among Women and Families, 2000-2010: Extreme Poverty Reaches Record Level as Congress Faces Critical Choices

2010 marked the first full year of recovery after the Great Recession ended in June of 2009 yet the latest Census Bureau data show that the economic crisis continues, especially for women and their families. Record numbers of women were living in poverty, and extreme poverty, in 2010. The poverty rate among women climbed to 14.5 percent in 2010 from 13.9 percent in 2009, the highest in 17 years. The extreme poverty rate among women climbed to 6.3 percent in 2010 from 5.9 percent in 2009, the highest rate ever recorded. Over 17 million women lived in poverty in 2010, including more than 7.5 million in extreme poverty, with an income below half of the federal poverty line. 

Click here to see all of our resources on the newly released census data or download the full report or summary fact sheet below. 

Document(s):

Poverty Among Women and Families, 2000-2010: Extreme Poverty Reaches Record Level as Congress Faces Critical Choices

Poverty Among Women and Families, 2010 Summary