America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers

Poverty rates for children (under age 18) in U.S. counties are wide-ranging, from less than 1.0% to 72.7%, according to the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates released today.

The Census Bureau’s 2017-2021 5-year ACS differs from the 1-year estimates released in September because it pools five consecutive years of 1-year estimates. This allows us to estimate poverty in geographies with smaller populations, including all 3,143 counties in the United States.

This article focuses on the poverty rates of the nation’s youngest and oldest age groups at the county level. It also analyzes the change in rates from the 2012-2016 ACS to the subsequent period of 2017-2021.

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📊 Mapping Change From 2012-2016 to 2017-2021

Child poverty rates changed significantly in 1,104 counties from 2012-2016 to 2017-2021:

• Child poverty rates declined in 1,017 counties.
• 43% of counties with declining child poverty rates were in the South.
• Child poverty rates increased in far fewer counties (87). Over half were in the South. 

📰 Housing Costs a Big Burden on Renters in Largest U.S. Counties

In Case You Missed It: Over 19 million U.S. renter households spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs in 2021, according to data from the 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates released today.

Here are some more highlights from today's release:

Income: 

• The U.S. median household income for the 2017-2021 ACS 5-year period was $69,021.
• Median household income, adjusted for inflation to 2021 dollars, in the United States increased 10.5% from $62,460 in 2012-2016, the most recent nonoverlapping 5-year period.

Families and Living Arrangements: 

• Nationally, among grandparents living with their own grandchildren under age 18, the percentage of grandparents responsible for their grandchildren declined from 36.5% in 2012-2016 to 32.7% in 2017-2021.

About America Counts

America Counts features stories on various topics including: 

• Families, Housing, Employment, Business, Education, Economy 
• Emergency Management, Health, Population, Income and Poverty

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