Residents Living in Poverty
The poverty rate, for the federal government, is a measure of households whose income is below the federal poverty threshold. The threshold is based on household size, e.g. a family of four is below the poverty threshold when earning less than $22,350 per year. Keeping track of the numbers living in poverty provides insight into the number of people going without basic needs being met, such as healthcare, stable housing, or adequate food. According to the 2005-2009 American Community Survey’s (ACS) 5-year estimate, the poverty rate in 2009 for Pierce County was estimated at 11.6%, or 86,468 residents living below the federally defined poverty threshold. With the continued economic downturn, this should be considered conservative. Comparing similar urban counties and Washington State as a whole, according to the ACS 5-year Estimate:
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| Source: 2000 US Census (Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) - Sample Data) and 2006 and 2005-2009 American Community Survey (Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months) |
Please Note: Unfortunately, there is often a lag between the end of the reporting period and the time that the data is released to the public. Some times, this lag can be substantial, while others are released much more frequently. We have attempted to include the most current data from our sources.
