Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 9 Years, 2019

Among all children under 18 years in the US, 38 percent live in low-income families and 17 percent-- approximately one in five--are poor. This means that children are overrepresented among our nation's poor; they represent 23 percent of the population but comprise 32 percent of all people in poverty. Many more children live in families with incomes just above the poverty threshold. Young children--those under age 9 years--appear to be particularly vulnerable, with 40 percent living in low-income families, including 18 percent living in poor families. Being a child in a low-income or poor family does not happen by chance. Parental education and employment, race/ethnicity, and other factors are associated with children's experiences of economic insecurity. This fact sheet highlights disparities in young children's experiences of economic insecurity by race, geography, and other factors.