Income and Education Statistics

People Quick Facts USA People Quick Facts USA Population, 2005 estimate 296,410,404 Female persons, percent, % White persons, percent, % Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, % White persons not Hispanic, percent, % Black persons, percent, % American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, % Asian persons, percent, % Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, % Persons reporting two or more races, percent, % Foreign born persons, percent, % Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, % High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, % Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, % Persons with a disability, age 5+, ,746,248 Housing units, ,521,886 Homeownership rate, % Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, % Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 $119,600 Households, ,480,101 Persons per household, Median household income, 2003 $43,318 Per capita money income, 1999 $21,587 Persons below poverty, percent, %

Household Income USA Wikipedia Graph Based on 2005 Economic Data from the US Census Bureau

Household Income by Race DeNavas-Walt, C., Proctor, B.D., & Lee C.H. (2006). Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: Retrieved March 13, 2007, from

Poverty Rates by Race DeNavas-Walt, C., Proctor, B.D., & Lee C.H. (2006). Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: Retrieved March 13, 2007, from

African Americans In 1999, about 22 percent of African American families had incomes below the poverty line ($17,029 for a family of 4 in 1999) but only 10 percent of all U.S. families did (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001c). The difference in poverty rates has shrunk over the past decade, however, and the socioeconomic distribution of African Americans has become increasingly complex. At one end of the income spectrum, the official poverty rate may understate the true extent of African American poverty. African Americans are more likely than whites to live in severe poverty, with incomes at or below 50 percent of the poverty threshold; the African American rate of severe poverty is more than three times the white rate. Children and youth are especially affected; while the national poverty rate for U.S. children is nearly 20 percent, almost 37 percent of African Americans 18 and younger live in poor families (U.S. Census Bureau, 1999b). Surgeon General’s Report Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity – Supplement

Asian Americans In 1990, for which detailed information on specific AA/PI groups is available, approximately 14 percent of all Asian Americans were living in poverty. Again, variations in poverty rates were evident when specific Asian ethnic groups were compared. The rates of poverty were Chinese Americans (14%), Korean Americans (14%), Thai Americans (13%), Asian Indian Americans (10%), Japanese Americans (7%), and Filipino Americans (6 %). Southeast Asians experienced much higher rates of poverty: Vietnamese (26%), Laotian (35%), Cambodian (43%), and Hmong (64%). Rates of poverty were also high among Pacific Islanders. In 1990, approximately 17 percent of Pacific Islanders were living in poverty, with Samoans (26%) and Tongans (23%) reporting the highest levels of poverty. Surgeon General’s Report Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity – Supplement

Hispanic Americans The economic status of three of the main subgroups parallels their educational status. Cuban Americans are more affluent in standing than Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans, as reflected in median family incomes (Cubans, $39,530; Puerto Ricans, $28,953; Mexicans, $27,883), the percentage of persons below the poverty line (Puerto Ricans, 31 %; Mexicans, 27 %; Cubans, 14 %) and the unemployment rates of persons 16 years and older (Puerto Ricans, 7 %; Mexicans, 7 %; Cubans, 5 %) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000d). The current income levels of the Latino subgroups are also related to the political and historical circumstances of their immigration. Elite Cuban immigrants have contributed in part to the relatively strong economic status of Cuban Americans. Their experience, however, stands in stark contrast to that of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Central Americans, most of whom came to the United States as unskilled laborers. Surgeon General’s Report Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity – Supplement

Education and Income In 2005, 85 percent of all adults 25 years or older reported they had completed at least high school. More than one-quarter (28 percent) of adults age 25 years and older had attained at least a bachelor's degree. High school graduation rates for women (ages 25 years and older) continued to exceed those of men, 85.4 percent and 84.9 percent, respectively. On the other hand, men had a greater proportion of the population with a bachelor's degree or higher (28.9 percent compared with 26.5 percent of women). Non-Hispanic whites had the highest proportion of adults with a high school diploma or higher (90 percent), followed by Asians (88 percent), blacks (81 percent) and Hispanics (59 percent).

Stoops, N. (2004). Educational Attainment in the United States: Retrieved March 13, 2007, from

Education, Income & Race “Within each specific educational level, earnings differed by sex and race. This variation may result from a variety of factors, such as occupation, working full- or part-time, age, or labor force experience.” What are other factors? Stoops, N. (2004). Educational Attainment in the United States: Retrieved March 13, 2007, from