The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), showing that the median estimated poverty rate for children ages 5 to 17 in U.S. school districts was 12.5% in 2024. The SAIPE program provides single-year income and poverty statistics for all 3,143 counties and 13,126 school districts across the country.
These estimates are used to allocate federal funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which supports schools with higher numbers or percentages of children from low-income families. The U.S. Department of Education will use the 2024 SAIPE data to determine fiscal year 2027 funding for states and school districts during the 2026-2027 academic year.
In terms of household income, county-level median values ranged from $34,802 to $177,457 in 2024, with a national median of $66,757 for all counties. From 2023 to 2024, median household income increased in about one-tenth of counties while decreasing in less than two percent.
County-level poverty rates varied widely as well, ranging from 3.8% to 55.7%, with a national median rate of 13.2%. Over the same period, poverty rates decreased in just over four percent of counties and increased in nearly two percent. For school-age children specifically, county-level poverty rates ranged from 2.4% up to 76.7%, with a median rate of 16.1%.
The release also includes additional tables covering statistics on household income and various measures of child poverty at both state and local levels. The SAIPE estimates are produced using statistical models that incorporate survey data, census information, and administrative records.
For more details on how these estimates are calculated, readers can refer to the SAIPE methodology page on the Census Bureau website.
