Percentage of Children Age 5-17 Living in Poverty by Year, New Mexico and U.S., 1995 to 2019
Indicator Report Data View Options
Why Is This Important?
Research suggests that living in poverty during early childhood is associated with lower than average academic performance that begins in kindergarten(1) and extends through elementary and high school. Living in poverty during early childhood is associated with lower than average rates of school completion.(2)
Definition
The estimated percentage of children under age 5-17 living in households whose income is at or below the federal poverty level. Poverty status is determined by comparing household income to poverty thresholds (income cutoffs). Thresholds vary by family size and number of children under 18 in the household. For instance, the poverty level for a family of four in 2021 is $26,500. For more information, see [https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines].
Data Sources
- New Mexico Population Estimates: University of New Mexico, Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) Program.
(http://gps.unm.edu/) - U.S. Census Bureau, Data Integration Division, Small Area Estimates Branch, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE)
(https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe.html)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Estimated number of children under age 5-17 living in households whose income is at or below the federal poverty level. |
| Denominator: | The estimated number of children under age 5-17 in the population. |
Data Issues
All population estimates apply to July 1 of the selected year. These estimates are considered the most accurate estimates for the state of New Mexico and should match those found on the University of New Mexico Geospatial and Population Studies website. Estimates include decimal fractions. Census tract population estimates were summed to produce County and Small Area population estimates. Population estimate totals may vary due to rounding. Population estimates for previous years are occasionally revised as new information becomes available. When publishing trend data, always be sure that your rates for earlier years match current rates on NM-IBIS that have been calculated with the most up-to-date population estimates.Health Topic Pages Related to: Population Demographic Characteristics - Poverty Among Children Age 5-17
Community Health Resources and Links
- Healthy People 2030 Website
- The Guide to Community Preventive Services
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
- County Health Rankings
- Kaiser Family Foundation's StateHealthFacts
Medical literature can be queried at the PubMed website.