The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), which provide single-year income and poverty statistics for all 3,143 counties and 13,126 school districts across the United States.
According to the new data, the median estimated poverty rate among children ages 5 to 17 in U.S. school districts was 12.5% in 2024. The SAIPE data are used to allocate funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, with school districts receiving funds based on their number and percentage of children from low-income families. The U.S. Department of Education plans to use these estimates to determine fiscal year 2027 funding for states and school districts during the 2026-2027 academic year for Title I and other federal education programs.
The report shows that county-level median household income in 2024 ranged from $34,802 to $177,457, with a median of $66,757 across all counties. Median household income increased in 10.1% of counties while it decreased in 1.8% from the previous year.
County-level poverty rates ranged from 3.8% to 55.7%, with a median rate of 13.2%. From 2023 to 2024, poverty rates decreased in 4.5% of counties but increased in 1.9%. For school-age children (ages 5 to 17), county-level poverty rates varied between 2.4% and as high as 76.7%, with a median rate at this age group of 16.1%.
Additional tables from SAIPE offer statistics on various indicators such as median household income; numbers of people living in poverty by age groups at state level; and estimates at the school district level for total population, children ages five to seventeen, and those living in families below the poverty line.
The SAIPE program produces its estimates using statistical model-based methods that incorporate sample survey data, decennial census information, and administrative records.
“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. 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 additional breakdowns by region or demographic group, visit the SAIPE methodology page.
