The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), providing updated statistics on income and poverty for all states, counties, and school districts across the United States. According to the new 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 are used by federal agencies to allocate funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This means that school districts receive Title I funds based on both the number and percentage of children from low-income families within their boundaries. 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 for Title I as well as other federal education programs.
For county-level statistics in 2024, median household incomes ranged from $34,802 to $177,457, with a national median of $66,757 across all counties. From 2023 to 2024, median household income rose in about one-tenth of counties while it fell in fewer than two percent.
County-level poverty rates showed significant variation: they ranged from a low of 3.8% up to a high of 55.7%, with a national county median at 13.2%. Between 2023 and 2024, poverty rates declined in approximately four-and-a-half percent of counties but increased in just under two percent.
Focusing specifically on children ages 5 to 17 at the county level, poverty rates spanned from as low as 2.4% up to as high as nearly three-quarters (76.7%), with a national median rate among counties at 16.1%.
Additional tables published alongside this release include figures on state-level median household income; counts of people living below the poverty line; numbers of young children under age five living in poverty; numbers for children ages five through seventeen living in families facing poverty; and total counts for those under eighteen experiencing poverty conditions. At the school district level, estimates are available for total population size; number of children aged five through seventeen; and number within that group living in families classified as poor.
The SAIPE program uses statistical models that combine sample survey information with decennial census data and administrative records to produce its annual estimates.
“SAIPE data are used to allocate funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. School districts receive Title I funds based on their number and percentage of children from low-income families,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau statement.
“The U.S. Department of Education plans to use the 2024 estimates to calculate and provide fiscal year 2027 funding to states and school districts in the 2026-2027 school year for Title I and several other federal education programs.”
For more details about how these estimates are produced or further breakdowns by region or demographic groupings, additional resources can be found via the official SAIPE methodology page.
