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The official poverty rate in 2003 was 12.5 percent, up from 12.1 percent in 2002. In 2003, 35.9 million people were in poverty, up 1.3 million from 2002. From 2000 both the poverty number and rate have risen for three consecutive years, from 31.6 million and 11.3 percent in 2000, to 35.9 million and 12.5 percent in 2003.
Race and Hispanic Origin - In 2003, the poverty rate was 8.2 percent for non-Hispanic Whites, unchanged from 2002. For Blacks, neither the poverty rate nor the number in poverty changed between 2002 and 2003.
Among people who indicated Asian as their only race, 11.8 percent were in poverty in 2003, higher than the 10.1 percent in 2002. The number in poverty also increased (from 1.2 million to 1.4 million).
Among Hispanics, the poverty rate remained unchanged at 22.5 percent in 2003, although their number in poverty increased from 8.6 million in 2002 to 9.1 million in 2003.
The poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives did not change.
Age - The poverty rate for people 18 to 64 years old was unchanged at 10.8 percent in 2003, although their number in poverty rose to 19.4 million in 2003, up from 18.9 million in 2002.
People 65 and older showed no change in their poverty rate or in their number in poverty, 10.2 percent and 3.6 million in 2003.
In 2003, both the poverty rate and the number in poverty for children under 18 increased-to 17.6 percent and 12.9 million, up from 16.7 percent and 12.1 million in 2002. The poverty rate for children was higher than the rates for both adults 18 to 64 years old (10.8 percent) and people 65 and older (10.2 percent).
In addition, children represented 35.9 percent of the people in poverty, compared with 25.4 percent of the total population.
Nativity - Of all people in the poverty universe, 88.1 percent were natives, 4.6 percent were foreign-born naturalized citizens, and 7.3 percent were foreign-born noncitizens. The native population had increases in both their poverty rate (from 11.5 percent to 11.8 percent) and number in poverty (from 29.0 million to 30.0 million) between 2002 and 2003. In contrast, the poverty rate for the foreign born was unchanged at 17.2 percent in 2003, although their number in poverty rose-5.9 million in 2003, compared with 5.6 million in 2002.
Of the foreign-born population, 38.4 percent were naturalized citizens; the rest were noncitizens. Their poverty rates were 10.0 percent for foreign-born naturalized citizens and 21.7 percent for those who had not become citizens, both unchanged from 2002. Although the number of foreign-born naturalized citizens in poverty (1.3 million) did not change from 2002, the number of foreign-born noncitizens in poverty increased (4.6 million in 2003, up from 4.3 million in 2002).
Region - In 2003, the poverty rates for the Northeast (11.3 percent), Midwest (10.7 percent), South (14.1 percent), and West (12.6 percent) all were unchanged from 2002, leaving the South with the highest rate. Two of the four regions showed increases in the number of people in poverty from 2002 to 2003: the number in the Midwest rose from 6.6 million to 6.9 million and the number in the South rose from 14.0 million to 14.5 million.
Residence - Taking central cities and suburbs together, the poverty rate and the number of people in poverty in metropolitan areas both rose-to 12.1 percent and 28.4 million in 2003, up from 11.6 percent and 27.1 million in 2002.
Among those living outside metropolitan areas, the poverty rate and their number in poverty were 14.2 percent and 7.5 million in 2003, unchanged from 2002.
Families - The poverty rate and number of families in poverty increased to 10.0 percent and 7.6 million in 2003, up from 9.6 percent and 7.2 million in 2002. Married-couple families showed no change in either their poverty rate or their number in poverty (5.4 percent and 3.1 million in 2003). In contrast, the poverty rates and numbers in poverty increased for both female householders with no husband present (to 28.0 percent and 3.9 million in 2003, up from 26.5 percent and 3.6 million in 2002), and male householders with no wife present (to 13.5 percent and 640,000 in 2003, up from 12.1 percent and 560,000 in 2002).
The number of people with health insurance coverage increased by 1.0 million in 2003, to 243.3 million (84.4 percent of the population).
An estimated 15.6 percent of the population, or 45.0 million people, were without health insurance coverage in 2003, up from 15.2 percent and 43.6 million people in 2002.
The proportion of children who were without health insurance did not change, remaining at 11.4 percent of all children, or 8.4 million, in 2003. With an uninsured rate at 19.2 percent, children in poverty were more likely to be uninsured than all children.
Most people (60.4 percent) were covered by a health insurance plan related to employment for some or all of 2003, but the proportion declined from the previous year. This decline essentially explains the fall in total private health insurance coverage, from 69.6 percent in 2002 to 68.6 percent in 2003.
The percentage of people covered by health insurance provided by the government increased between 2002 and 2003. Medicaid coverage rose by 0.7 percentage points to 12.4 percent in 2003. Medicare coverage also rose in 2003, by 0.2 percentage points to 13.7 percent. Among the entire population, 26.6 percent had government insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid, and military health care (3.5 percent).
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