DEC. 14, 2023 — The median estimated poverty rate of children ages 5 to 17 in U.S. school districts in 2022 was 13.9%, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The new data come from the 2022 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), which provides the only single-year income and poverty statistics for the nation’s 3,143 counties and 13,146 school districts.

SAIPE statistics are used to allocate funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. School districts receive Title I funds based on their number and percentage of children from low-income families. The U.S. Department of Education plans to use the 2022 estimates to calculate and provide fiscal year 2024 funding to states and school districts in the 2024-2025 school year for Title I and several other federal education programs.

Additional tables provide statistics on median household income, the number of people of all ages in poverty, the number of children younger than age 5 in poverty at the state level, the number of children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty, and the number of children younger than age 18 in poverty. At the school district level, estimates are available for the total population, the number of children ages 5 to 17, and the number of children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty.

Income

• In 2022, county-level median household income ranged from $28,972 to $167,605, with a median income of $60,833 for all counties.
• Median household income increased in 4.1% of counties and decreased in 5.6% of counties from 2021 to 2022.
• Median household income increased in 22.4% of counties and decreased in 3.3% of counties between 2007 (the year before the Great Recession) and 2022.

Poverty

• In 2022, the county-level poverty rate ranged from 3.1% to 42.4%, with a median poverty rate of 13.6% for all counties.
• The poverty rate decreased in 3.0% of counties and increased in 3.0% of counties from 2021 to 2022.
• Between 2007 and 2022, the poverty rate declined in 6.4% of counties and rose in 4.6% of counties.
• In 2022, the county-level poverty rate for school-age children (ages 5 to 17) ranged from 2.1% to 55.2%, with a median rate of 17.1%.

SAIPE program estimates are produced by statistical model-based methods using sample survey, decennial census, and administrative data sources. For more information, visit SAIPE methodology.

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