Twice-poverty rates, domestic workers versus other workers, 2018, by demographic

Domestic worker occupations
Child care workers Home care aides
All other (nondomestic) workers Domestic workers Percentage-point difference House cleaners Nannies Provider in own home Non-agency-based Agency-based
All 16.9% 44.3% 27.4 54.8% 39.0% 32.4% 36.4% 45.8%
Gender
Female 18.1% 45.4% 27.3 54.5% 39.2% 32.5% 36.9% 47.8%
Male 15.8% 31.0% 15.2 NA NA NA NA 28.7%
Nativity
U.S.-born 15.0% 42.3% 27.3 54.4% 32.8% 25.1% 35.9% 46.8%
Foreign-born U.S. citizen 17.2% 40.1% 22.9 NA NA NA NA 42.8%
Foreign-born noncitizen 33.7% 54.3% 20.6 61.7% NA NA NA 44.2%
Race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 12.0% 34.6% 22.5 47.7% 37.9% 20.0% NA 36.5%
Black, non-Hispanic 25.4% 53.3% 27.9 NA NA NA NA 54.6%
Hispanic, any race 29.8% 54.4% 24.6 60.6% NA NA NA 53.4%
Asian American/Pacific Islander 13.7% 33.9% 20.3 NA NA NA NA 35.3%
Other 24.9% NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Education
Not high school graduate 40.9% 55.8% 14.9 59.3% NA NA NA 55.5%
High school graduate 24.4% 47.3% 22.9 55.4% NA 31.7% NA 50.2%
Some college 17.8% 41.9% 24.1 NA NA 28.0% NA 45.1%
Bachelor’s degree or more 6.7% 27.0% 20.3 NA NA NA NA 21.2%
Age
Under 23 29.7% 43.7% 13.9 NA NA NA NA NA
23–49 18.8% 52.7% 33.8 65.5% NA 41.5% NA 54.0%
50+ 10.4% 33.9% 23.5 41.8% NA 24.1% NA 35.0%

Notes: The “twice-poverty rate” is the share of workers whose family income is below twice the official poverty line, and is often considered a better cutoff for whether a family is able to make ends meet. To ensure sufficient sample sizes, this table draws from pooled 2016–2018 microdata. “Foreign-born” refers to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth.

The “twice-poverty rate” is the share of workers whose family income is below twice the official poverty line, and is often considered a better cutoff for whether a family is able to make ends meet. To ensure sufficient sample sizes, this table draws from pooled 2016–2018 microdata. “Foreign-born” refers to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth. “Foreign-born noncitizen” includes foreign-born persons who are either lawful permanent residents, in a nonimmigrant status (migrants with temporary visas), or lacking an immigration status, including both unauthorized immigrants and those with lawful presence (such as DACA recipients and asylum applicants whose cases are in process).

Source: Economic Policy Institute (EPI) analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata

View the underlying data on epi.org.