The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), which provide annual income and poverty statistics for all 3,143 counties and 13,126 school districts in the United States. According to the new data, the median estimated poverty rate for children ages 5 to 17 in U.S. school districts was 12.5% in 2024.
The SAIPE data play a key role in allocating federal funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. School districts receive Title I funds based on both the number and percentage of children from low-income families. The U.S. Department of Education will use these 2024 estimates to determine fiscal year 2027 funding for states and school districts, which will be distributed during the 2026-2027 academic year for Title I and other federal education programs.
In terms of household income at the county level, figures ranged from $34,802 to $177,457 in 2024, with a median value of $66,757 across all counties. Compared to the previous year, median household income increased in about one-tenth of counties while it decreased 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%. From 2023 to 2024, about four-and-a-half percent of counties saw their poverty rates decrease while nearly two percent experienced an increase.
For school-age children between ages five and seventeen at the county level, poverty rates ranged from as low as 2.4% up to a high of 76.7%, with a median rate of 16.1%.
Additional tables released by the Census Bureau offer more detailed statistics including median household income; numbers of people living in poverty by age group at state levels; and breakdowns for total population as well as children living in poverty within each school district. The SAIPE program uses statistical model-based methods that combine sample survey data with decennial census information and administrative records.
For more details on how these estimates are produced, visit the SAIPE methodology page.
