Definition: Estimated percentage of children ages 0-17 in living situations with incomes below 50% of their federal poverty threshold (e.g., in 2024, 6.8% of California children lived in deep poverty).
Data Source: Population Reference Bureau, analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey summary files and public use microdata (Aug. 2026).
Footnote: The federal poverty threshold was $31,812 for a family of two adults and two children in 2024. Data presented are for children in families related by birth, marriage, or adoption, and children ages 15-17 in households with no relatives. Poverty status is not determined for children in some living situations; for details, see How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty. These estimates are based on a survey of the population and are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. Data for 2020 are not available due to disruptions in data collection. The notation S refers to estimates that have been suppressed because the margin of error was greater than 5 percentage points. N/A means that data are not available.
