The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), providing single-year income and poverty statistics for all 3,143 counties and 13,126 school districts in the United States.
According to the data, the median estimated poverty rate for children ages 5 to 17 in U.S. school districts was 12.5% in 2024. The SAIPE data play a key role in allocating funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which supports 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.
In terms of household income, county-level median figures ranged from $34,802 to $177,457 in 2024, with a median income across all counties at $66,757. Compared to the previous year, median household income increased in 10.1% of counties and decreased in 1.8%.
County-level poverty rates varied between 3.8% and 55.7%, with a median rate of 13.2%. From 2023 to 2024, poverty rates declined in 4.5% of counties but rose in 1.9%. For school-age children (ages 5 to 17), county-level poverty rates ranged from 2.4% to as high as 76.7%, with a median rate at 16.1%.
Additional tables published by the Census Bureau provide further breakdowns on median household income, numbers of people living in poverty by age group at both state and local levels, including children younger than five years old and those up to age seventeen or eighteen depending on category.
The SAIPE program uses statistical model-based methods that incorporate sample survey data along with decennial census and administrative records.
“There is no news release associated with this product,” stated the Census Bureau tip sheet.
For more details about methodology or access to detailed tables, visit the official SAIPE page provided by the Census Bureau.
