The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), providing updated income and poverty statistics for all states, counties, and school districts in the United States.
According to the latest figures, the median estimated poverty rate for children ages 5 to 17 in U.S. school districts was 12.5% in 2024. These SAIPE data are used by federal agencies to allocate funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which directs resources to school districts based on their number and percentage of children from low-income families. The U.S. Department of Education will use these estimates to determine fiscal year 2027 funding for states and school districts during the 2026-2027 academic year for Title I and other federal education programs.
At the county level, median household income ranged from $34,802 to $177,457 in 2024, with a median income of $66,757 across all counties. Between 2023 and 2024, median household income increased in about 10.1% of counties while decreasing in approximately 1.8%.
The county-level poverty rate varied between 3.8% and 55.7%, with a national median of 13.2%. From the previous year, poverty rates declined in about 4.5% of counties but rose in roughly 1.9%. For school-age children (ages 5 to 17), county-level poverty rates ranged from as low as 2.4% up to a high of 76.7%, with a median rate at this age group standing at 16.1%.
Additional tables released provide more detailed statistics at both state and local levels, including figures on overall population counts, numbers of people living in poverty across different age groups, as well as breakdowns for children under five years old and those aged five to seventeen living in families below the poverty line.
The SAIPE program uses statistical model-based methods that combine sample survey information with decennial census data and administrative records to produce its estimates.
For more details about how these estimates are produced or further methodological information, visit the SAIPE methodology page on the Census Bureau website.
