Demographics of Young, Low-Income Children
Research suggests that, on average, families need an income of about twice the federal poverty level to meet their most basic needs. Children living in families with incomes below this level—$44,100 for a family of four in 2010—are referred to as low income. The United States measures poverty by an outdated standard developed in the 1960s.
Young Children in North Carolina, by Income Level, 2009
In North Carolina, there are 547,582 families, with 766,578 young children.
Young Low-Income Children: 51% (392,035) of young children live in low-income families (National: 46%), defined as income below 200% of the federal poverty level.
Parental Education
Young Children in Low-Income Families in North Carolina, by Parents' Education, 2009
Parental Marital Status
Young Children in Single-Parent Families in North Carolina, by Income Level, 2009
Child’s Race/Ethnicity
Young Children in Low-Income Families in North Carolina, by Race, 2009
Child’s Age
Young Children in Low-Income Families in North Carolina, by Age, 2009
Type of Residential Area
Young Children in Low-Income Families in North Carolina, by Residence, 2009
Residential Move
Young Children Who Have Recently Moved in North Carolina, by Income Level, 2009
Parental Nativity
Young Children in Low-Income Families in North Carolina, by Parents' Nativity, 2009
Home Ownership
Young Children in Owner-Occupied Housing in North Carolina, by Income Level, 2009
Parental Presence
Young Children Living in Families with No Parent Present, in North Carolina, by Income Level, 2009
Data Notes and Sources
Last Updated: January 19, 2011
* This estimate should be used with caution. It may be unreliable due to a small sample size.
Some graphs may not be shown because of extremely small sample sizes.
Because of rounding, not all figures will add up to 100%.
National data were calculated from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (the March supplement) of the Current Population Survey from 2010, representing information from the previous calendar year. State data were calculated from the 2009 American Community Survey, representing information from 2009.
Definitions
- Low Income
- Families and children are defined as low-income if the family income is less than twice the federal poverty threshold (see Poor).
- Parent
- Among children who do not live with at least one parent, parental characteristics are those of the householder and/or the householder's spouse.
- Poor
- Families and children are defined as poor if family income is below the federal poverty threshold. The federal poverty level for a family of four with two children was $22,050 in 2010, $22,050 in 2009, and $21,200 in 2008.
- Young Child
- A young child is defined as an individual under the age of 6. Children living in group quarters and children living with only unrelated adults are excluded from these data.
The federal poverty guidelines are issued annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The demographic findings on this page were calculated using a more complex version of the federal poverty measure—the thresholds issued by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more information about federal poverty measures, see The 2010 HHS Poverty Guidelines.
For definitions of other terms, please refer to Explanations of Terms and Data Sources.