Poverty rate, 1959–2013
| Actual poverty rate | |
|---|---|
| 1959-01-01 | 22.4% |
| 1960-01-01 | 22.2% |
| 1961-01-01 | 21.9% |
| 1962-01-01 | 21.0% |
| 1963-01-01 | 19.5% |
| 1964-01-01 | 19.0% |
| 1965-01-01 | 17.3% |
| 1966-01-01 | 14.7% |
| 1967-01-01 | 14.2% |
| 1968-01-01 | 12.8% |
| 1969-01-01 | 12.1% |
| 1970-01-01 | 12.6% |
| 1971-01-01 | 12.5% |
| 1972-01-01 | 11.9% |
| 1973-01-01 | 11.1% |
| 1974-01-01 | 11.2% |
| 1975-01-01 | 12.3% |
| 1976-01-01 | 11.8% |
| 1977-01-01 | 11.6% |
| 1978-01-01 | 11.4% |
| 1979-01-01 | 11.7% |
| 1980-01-01 | 13.0% |
| 1981-01-01 | 14.0% |
| 1982-01-01 | 15.0% |
| 1983-01-01 | 15.2% |
| 1984-01-01 | 14.4% |
| 1985-01-01 | 14.0% |
| 1986-01-01 | 13.6% |
| 1987-01-01 | 13.4% |
| 1988-01-01 | 13.0% |
| 1989-01-01 | 12.8% |
| 1990-01-01 | 13.5% |
| 1991-01-01 | 14.2% |
| 1992-01-01 | 14.8% |
| 1993-01-01 | 15.1% |
| 1994-01-01 | 14.5% |
| 1995-01-01 | 13.8% |
| 1996-01-01 | 13.7% |
| 1997-01-01 | 13.3% |
| 1998-01-01 | 12.7% |
| 1999-01-01 | 11.9% |
| 2000-01-01 | 11.3% |
| 2001-01-01 | 11.7% |
| 2002-01-01 | 12.1% |
| 2003-01-01 | 12.5% |
| 2004-01-01 | 12.7% |
| 2005-01-01 | 12.6% |
| 2006-01-01 | 12.3% |
| 2007-01-01 | 12.5% |
| 2008-01-01 | 13.2% |
| 2009-01-01 | 14.3% |
| 2010-01-01 | 15.1% |
| 2011-01-01 | 15.0% |
| 2012-01-01 | 15.0% |
| 2013-01-01 | 14.5% |
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement Historical Poverty Tables (Tables 2 and 4), Bureau of Economic Analysis National Income Product Accounts public data, and Danziger and Gottschalk (1995)