Roughly 5.7% of children were uninsured and 14.4% lived in poverty in 2019, according to new reports from the U.S. Census Bureau.
While the poverty rate improved over the previous year, the rate of children without health insurance worsened from 5.2% the previous year.
Hispanic children had the highest rates of being uninsured at 9.2%, while White, Black and Asian uninsurance rates each were under 5%.
In 2019, the median household income rose to $68,703, a 6.8% increase from 2018 and the highest level since results became available in 1967, according to the Census Bureau.
About 10.5 million children or 14.4% last year lived in poverty, defined as a family with two adults and two children with an annual income below $26,172. The rate is down from 16.2% in 2018 and is the lowest since 1973 but is still well above the two adult age groups.
Across all ages, 10.5% of people lived in poverty in 2019 compared to 11.8% the year before. It is the fifth consecutive year the poverty rate improved and the lowest rate since data became available in 1959.
Overall poverty rates were highest for people who are Black (18.8%) followed by Hispanic (15.7%), White (9.1%) and Asian (7.3%).
Addressing poverty and lack of insurance are important areas for the Academy. The AAP policy Poverty and Child Health in the United States calls for improving access to early childhood education and increasing parents’ income by strengthening programs like the earned income tax credit, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, housing subsidies and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
