Census: No big changes in US poverty, income last year

The nation's poverty rate dipped in 2013, especially for Hispanic individuals, while the number of people remaining in poverty and median incomes remained relatively unchanged from 2012, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data.

Changes in income inequality as measured by the bureau were not significant from 2012 to 2013, while the overall trend dating back to the late 1960s shows an increase in income inequality.

The female-to-male earnings ratio for fulltime workers, which is also on a long-term upswing, has not experienced a statistically significant increase since 2007 and stands at 78 percent.

A White House analysis said the child poverty rate experienced the biggest one-year drop since 1966, noted children and the elderly are more likely to be insured, and said 2014 jobs data not reflected in the report suggest the income and poverty picture improved this year.

Massachusetts continued to lead the nation in the percentage of people receiving health insurance, and health coverage remained less prevalent for those with lower incomes, especially young and middle-aged adults, a population that does not qualify for insurance programs assisting older people and children.

With 3.7 percent of the state's population uninsured in 2013, according to American Community Survey data, the Bay State was two-tenths of a percentage better at providing coverage than in 2012 and far outpaced the ACS national average of 14.5 percent and the bottom of the heap, Texas, which had an uninsured rate of 22.1 percent.

The bureau reported that 45.3 million people were living at or below the poverty line in 2013, and 42 million Americans were without health insurance coverage for all of 2013. The poverty line is often used to determine eligibility for taxpayer-subsidized programs and services.

Median household income, which declined in 2010 and again in 2011, was $51,939 in 2013, barely up from $51,759 in 2012.

The bureau said its comparison of real median household income over the past six years showed that income is 8 percent lower than in 2007, the year before the nation entered a recession.

On Thursday, the Census Bureau is scheduled to release single-year estimates of median household income, poverty and health insurance for all states.

While 13.4 percent of the nation was uninsured in 2013, for adults between the ages 19 to 64 the percentage stood at 37.2 percent. Income and health insurance statistics showed racial disparities throughout.

The rate of black people living in poverty was unchanged from 2012 to 2013, standing at 27.2 percent while the poverty rate for non-Hispanic white people dipped slightly to 9.6 percent. Poverty among Hispanic people experienced a 2.1 percent drop, falling to 23.5 percent.

The overall poverty rate was 14.5 percent in 2013, down a half percentage point from 2012. Census officials attributed the decline to an increase in year-round full-time employment, which has increased over the last two years. The number of people living in poverty was relatively unchanged, according to the bureau.

The poverty line for 2013 is an annual income of $23,624 for two adults and two children, and $12,119 for an individual.

Census officials also used new questions to determine health coverage, aimed at bringing its data in line with other sources. In 2013, the last year before the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, the 2010 federal law aimed at increasing insurance coverage, 13.4 percent of the country was uninsured, a figure that will serve as a baseline next year to measure the success of President Barack Obama's signature law.

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