Population Demographic Characteristics - Poverty Among Children Under Age 18
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Percentage of Children Under Age 18 Living in Poverty, by County, New Mexico, 2020
Percentage of Children Under Age 18 Living in Poverty, by Small Area, New Mexico, 2015-2019
Percentage of Children Under Age 18 Living in Poverty, by U.S. States, 2019
Why Is This Important?
Poverty in the early years of a child's life, more than at any other time, has especially harmful effects on continuing healthy development and well-being, including developmental delays and infant mortality. Well-being in later childhood, such as teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and educational attainment, are also influenced by early childhood poverty. Children born into poverty are less likely to have regular health care, proper nutrition, and opportunities for mental stimulation and enrichment.
Definition
The estimated number and percentage of children under age 18 living in households with income below the federal poverty level. Poverty status is determined by comparing household income to poverty thresholds (income cutoffs). Thresholds vary by family size and number of children under 18 in the household. For instance, the poverty level for a family of four in 2019 is $25,750.
Data Sources
- New Mexico Population Estimates: University of New Mexico, Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) Program.
(http://gps.unm.edu/) - U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
(https://data.census.gov) - U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
(http://data.census.gov) - U.S. Census Bureau, Data Integration Division, Small Area Estimates Branch, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE)
(https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe.html)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Estimated number of children age 17 and under living in households whose income is below 100% of the federal poverty level as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Poverty status is determined by comparing household income to poverty thresholds (income cutoffs). Thresholds vary by family size and number of children under 18 in the household, and are updated in January of each year. For instance, the poverty level for a family of four in 2018 is $25,100. The U.S. Poverty Guidelines may be found at the [http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/ Health and Human Services website]. |
| Denominator: | The estimated number of children age 17 and under in the population. |
How Are We Doing?
The percentage of children in poverty peaked in New Mexico in 2013 at 30.1%. The percentage has declined in the last two years and in 2017 now stands at 25.9%. Just over 127,300 New Mexico children age 0-17 were in families living in poverty.
How Do We Compare With the U.S.?
In 2017, the New Mexico child poverty rate was 25.9%, 41% higher than the U.S. rate of 18.4%. The child poverty rate ranged from 10% in New Hampshire to 27.7% in Louisiana.
Other Objectives
New Mexico Community Health Status Indicator (CHSI)
More Resources
[http://www.aecf.org/resources/the-2014-kids-count-data-book/ The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2014 KIDS COUNT Data Book]