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Low-Income Families and Unrelated Individuals in the United States: 1963

Report Number P60-45

Approximately 19 percent of the 47.4 million families in the United States--about one out of every five families--had incomes under $3,000 in 1963. The median income for all families in 1963 was $6,200. Forty-four percent of the 11 million unrelated individuals had total money incomes of less than $1,500 in 1963, whereas 28 percent had an income of less than $1,000. The median income for all unrelated individuals was $1,800.

Among those types of families with the highest incidence of low income in 1963 (families with incomes under $3,000) were the nonwhite family, the family that had a head 65 years of age or older, the family headed by a female, the farm family, the family with no earner, and the family with a head who had completed less than a grade school education. Nearly half of the low-income families lived in the South; half of them had a head who was not in the labor force. Among those with employed heads nearly two-thirds were either semiskilled workers, service workers, or farmers or farm laborers.

A Note on Language

Census statistics date back to 1790 and reflect the growth and change of the United States. Past census reports contain some terms that today’s readers may consider obsolete and inappropriate. As part of our goal to be open and transparent with the public, we are improving access to all Census Bureau original publications and statistics, which serve as a guide to the nation's history.

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
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