New Census Data Shows Lack of Improvement on Income, Poverty

While the Census Bureau reported impressive findings on the reduction of Americans without health insurance last year, there was nothing impressive in the numbers on income and poverty, notwithstanding an increase in employment.

2 minute read

September 19, 2015, 5:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


"(T)here was no statistically significant change in income for the typical American household in 2014, the Obama administration said on Wednesday," writes Robert Pear for The New York Times. "Median household income in the United States was $53,660 last year, the Census Bureau reported, and the poverty rate — 14.8 percent — also saw no improvement." [The poverty rate is the ratio of the number of people who fall below the poverty line and the total population.]

About 46.7 million people were in poverty in 2014, the bureau said, the fourth consecutive year in which the number of people in poverty was not statistically different from the official estimate for the prior year.

"(F)or ordinary Americans, especially the poor, the economic recovery — now into its seventh year — has yet to deliver measurable benefits," writes Pear.

"Despite decent employment growth in 2014, the persistent high unemployment yielded no improvements in wages and no improvement in the median incomes of working-age households or any reduction in poverty,” said Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a liberal research group influential with Democrats in Congress.

Tanvi Misra, staff writer for CityLab covering demographics, inequality, and urban culture, divided the Census report into three takeaways:

  1. More jobs aren’t making Americans richer: "Census Bureau statistician Edward J. Welniak Jr. told The New York Times that an increase in single-person households (that tend to have lower income than households with families) might explain the income stagnation. Experts at EPI, however, blame embarrassingly flat trajectory of average hourly wages for American workers." 

  2. Racial gaps are still intact: "In 2014, African Americans continued to have the lowest household income ($35,400); Asians had the highest median income, at $74,300."

  3. There is some good news, particularly for immigrants: "Immigrants were also the only group that saw an increase in their income; in 2014, they brought in $59,300—up 4 percent from the previous year."

In the first sub-heading, Misra links a 2013 piece by her colleague at CityLab, Erik Jaffe, that points to the sustainability of single family households because they "tend to use more transit and live in multi-family homes," yet the Census Bureau statistician suggests these households may account for "income stagnation."

More information can be found in the Census Bureau's 80-page report, "Income and Poverty in the United States: 2014" [PDF].

The income and poverty report was included with a report on health coverage posted here.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Brutalist grey department of housing and urban development building in Washington DC.

How Trump's HUD Budget Proposal Would Harm Homelessness Response

Experts say the change to the HUD budget would make it more difficult to identify people who are homeless and connect them with services, and to prevent homelessness.

2 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Lancaster Boulevard with tree-lined median and wide sidewalks in Lancaster, California.

The Vast Potential of the Right-of-Way

One writer argues that the space between two building faces is the most important element of the built environment.

2 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

Sign in front of building for seior services center in St. Petersburg, Fl.

Florida Seniors Face Rising Homelessness Risk

High housing costs are pushing more seniors, many of them on a fixed income, into homelessness.

4 hours ago - WESH

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA