Annual Social and Economic Supplement

Attachment H
Measuring a Changing America

Keeping Your
Information Confidential

In our rapidly changing world, leaders,
policymakers, and researchers need current information to make good decisions.
That is why we conduct the
Annual Social and
Economic Supplement
to the Current Population
Survey every year.

All the information given by you to the U.S.
Census Bureau for this survey is confidential
by law (Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9). All
Census Bureau employees take an oath to this
effect and are subject to a jail penalty and/or
fine if they disclose any census information
given to them. We use computers to collect the
survey data, but the information is
encrypted to ensure its confidentiality. We
present published information only in the
form of statistical summaries, and we never
release any information that could indentify
individuals. The Census Bureau has established rigid procedures and guidelines to
ensure data confidentiality and is proud of
the excellent reputation it has earned in this
regard.

Because of the cooperation
we received from the
households participating
last year, we have been
able to learn a great
deal about how
we live and
work.

Thank you for your participation
in the Current Population Survey.
For more information, call one of our
regional offices or visit us on our Web
site at .
Atlanta
404-730-3832
Boston
617-424-4501
Charlotte
800-331-7358, #2
Chicago
800-865-6384
Dallas
800-835-9752, #34410
Denver
800-593-5096
Detroit
800-432-1495
Kansas City
913-551-6728
Los Angeles
800-992-3530, #2
New York
800-991-2520, #43475
Philadelphia
800-262-2367
Seattle
800-233-3308, #22

Here are three categories of
important facts and emerging
trends the U.S. Census Bureau
has discovered about
Americans and their families:
• Median household income
• People without health
insurance coverage
• Poverty rate and number
of people in poverty

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S.CENSUS BUREAU

Issued November 2011
CPS-676 (11/11)

The Changing Situation
of Americans and
Their Families
Facts From the Current Population Survey
Annual Social and Economic Supplement

Household Income
Real median household
income was $49,445
in 2010, a 2.3 percent
decline from 2009. Since
2007, median household income has
declined 6.4 percent (from $52,823) and is
7.1 percent below the median household
income peak ($53,252) that occurred in
1999.
Both family and nonfamily households had
declines in real median income between
2009 and 2010. The income of family
households declined by 1.2 percent to
$61,544; the income of nonfamily households declined by 3.9 percent to $29,730.
Real median income declined for White
and Black households between 2009 and
2010, while the changes for Asian and
Hispanic-origin households were not statistically significant.
Real median household income for each
race and Hispanic-origin group has not yet
recovered to the pre-2001 recession alltime highs.

Median Household Income
by Type of Household: 2010

All households

$49,445
$61,544

Male householder

31.4

Sex

$72,751

17.9

Male

14.8

Female
$49,718

29.5

Age
9.8
15.4

Under 18 years

$29,730

27.2

18 to 24 years

$25,456

41.2
28.4

25 to 34 years

$35,627

51.7
21.8

35 to 44 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey,
2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

Health Insurance Coverage

The official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1
percent, up from 14.3 percent in 2009.
This was the third consecutive annual
increase in the poverty rate. Since 2007,
the poverty rate has increased by 2.6
percent to 15.1 percent.

50.3

Poverty Rates of People in
Families by Family Type and
Presence of Workers: 2010
(In percent)

16.3

45 to 64 years
65 years
and older

Poverty Rate and Number
of People in Poverty

The chart below shows lower poverty rates
for family members living with at least one
worker than for family members living with
no worker—11.7 percent compared with
31.0 percent. The same pattern held when
families were classified by family types.

33.7

$32,031

Male householder, no
wife present

Female householder

People in poverty

16.3

Total

Married-couple
households

Total nonfamily
households

All people
(In percent)

Total family
households

Female householder,
no husband present

People Without Health
Insurance Coverage for the
Entire Year by Selected
Characteristics: 2010

Total

39.1

With no workers

2.0

With 1 or more workers

6.1

Race and Hispanic Origin

1

The percentage of people without health insurance was 16.3 percent in 2010, which was not
statistically different from 2009. The number
of uninsured people increased to 49.9 million
in 2010 from 49.0 million in 2009.

White
White,
non-Hispanic
Black
Asian

15.4
33.3
11.7

69.8

29.3
20.8
26.0
18.1

48.8

34.8
Hispanic
(any race)

30.7
38.9

Federal surveys now give respondents the option of reporting more than one race. Therefore, two basic ways of defining a race group are possible. A group such as Asian may be
defined as those who reported Asian and no other race (the
race-alone or single-race concept) or as those who reported
Asian regardless of whether they also reported another race
(the race-alone-or-in-combination concept). This table shows
data using the first approach (race alone). The use of the
single-race population does not imply that it is the preferred
method of presenting or analyzing data. The Census Bureau
uses a variety of approaches. Information on people who
reported more than one race, such as White and American
Indian and Alaska Native or Asian and Black or African
American, is available from Census 2010 through American
FactFinder. About 2.9 percent of people reported more than
one race in Census 2010.

1

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey,
2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

31.0
31.6

21.4
15.8

15.1
11.7

10.6

8.1
6.2

In families

4.6

In marriedcouple
families

In femalehouseholder
families

In malehouseholder
families

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey,
2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplement.