close to the 1960 levels. Between 2010 and 2019, the poverty rate declined to 10.5%, before rising to 11.4% in

2020 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

Group

Poverty Rate

Females

Males

12.6%

10.2%

White (Non-Hispanic) 8.2%

Black

Hispanic

Under age 18

Ages 18–64

Ages 65+

19.5%

17.0%

16.1%

10.4%

9.0%

TABLE 15.1 Poverty Rates by Group,

2020
362 15 • Poverty and Economic Inequality

The concept of a poverty line raises many tricky questions. In a vast country like the United States, should

there be a national poverty line? After all, according to the Federal Register, the median household income for

a family of four was $109,113 in New Jersey and $59,701 in Mississippi in 2017, and prices of some basic

goods like housing are quite different between states. The poverty line is based on cash income, which means

it does not account for government programs that provide non-cash assistance such as Medicaid (health care
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