Childhood Poverty Persistence

Racially Disproportionate

Black children are roughly 2.5 times more likely than white children to ever experience poverty and 7 times more likely to be persistently poor.

Cycle Into and Out of Poverty

Children who experience poverty tend to cycle into and out of poverty, and many children who are persistently poor spend intermittent years living above the poverty threshold.

A Strong Predictor

Being poor at birth is a strong predictor of future poverty status. 31% of white children and 69% of black children who are poor at birth go on to spend at least half of their childhoods living in poverty.

One-Third

37% of children live in poverty at some point during their childhood, usually with limited exposure. 17% are poor for 1 to 3 years, 10% are poor for 4 to 8 years and another 10% are poor for 9 to 18 years.

A Vulnerable Population

Focusing resources on children born into poverty and their families targets a particularly vulnerable population.

Years poor as a child by race

Number of child poverty spells by number of years poor as a child (percent)

Distribution of years poort as a child by poverty status at birth and race