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Washington: Poverty rate, overall

The poverty rate is the percentage of people living below the poverty level or “threshold.” Each year, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget establishes a series of poverty thresholds for different family sizes and ages of household heads.

Among Washington residents, the overall poverty rate . . .

  • was 10.0 percent in 2022, 10.6 percent in 1999, and 10.9 percent in 1989.
  • was 10.0 percent compared to 12.6 percent in the U.S. in 2022.
  • ranked 41st - from highest to lowest - out of the 50 states in 2022.

 
 

To get the most out of this indicator . . .

 

Ask questions:

 

·         Is the poverty rate going up or down over time?

·         How does your county’s poverty rate compare to the state or national rate?

 

Look at other indicators:

 

·         “Income and poverty: Poverty rate, by age” – How do child and elderly poverty rates compare to the overall poverty rate?

·         “Employment: Unemployment rate” – If your county has a relatively high poverty rate, does it also have a relatively high unemployment rate?

·         “County types: County policy type codes” - If your county has a relatively high poverty rate, is it classified as a “persistent poverty” county?

 

Dig deeper:

 

·         Look at the county rankings for your state and/or view maps to see how your county compares to others.

·         Download data for your county or state to view the total number of people living in poverty.

·         The U.S. Census Bureau publishes poverty thresholds for various household and family types.  See http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/threshld.html.

·         Take a Big Picture view of your county.

·         If you have specific questions, send us an e-mail.





Source: 1979: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population and Housing, (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/data/tables.1980.html);
1989-2022: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, (https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/saipe/#/?map_geoSelector=aa_c); DATE LAST UPDATED: March 22, 2024.



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