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—$42,400 for a family of four in 2008—are referred to as low income. The United States measures poverty by an outdated standard developed in the 1960s.
Young Children in Alabama, by Income Level, 2007
In Alabama, there are 199,150 families, with 381,575 young children.
Young Low-Income Children: 45% (172,127) of young children live in low-income families (National: 43%), defined as income below 200% of the federal poverty level.
Parental Employment
Parents' Employment Status in Alabama, by Income Level, 2007
Parental Education
Young Children in Low-Income Families in Alabama, by Parents' Education, 2007
Parental Marital Status
Young Children in Single-Parent Families in Alabama, by Income Level, 2007
Child’s Race/Ethnicity
Young Children in Low-Income Families in Alabama, by Race, 2007
Child’s Age
Young Children in Low-Income Families in Alabama, by Age, 2007
Type of Residential Area
Young Children in Low-Income Families in Alabama, by Residence, 2007
Residential Move
Young Children Who Have Recently Moved in Alabama, by Income Level, 2007
Home Ownership
Young Children in Owner-Occupied Housing in Alabama, by Income Level, 2007
Parental Presence
Young Children Living in Families with No Parent Present, in Alabama, by Income Level, 2007
Data Notes and Sources
Last Updated: September 3, 2008
* 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%.
State data were calculated from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (the March supplement) of the Current Population Survey from 2006, 2007, and 2008, representing information from calendar years 2005, 2006, and 2007. NCCP averaged three years of data because of small sample sizes in less populated states. The national data were calculated from the 2008 data, representing information from the previous calendar year.
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 $21,200 in 2008, $20,650 in 2007, and $20,000 in 2006.
- 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 2008 HHS Poverty Guidelines.
For definitions of other terms, please refer to Explanations of Terms and Data Sources.