According to the
2014 U.S. Census Bureau ACS study (see charts below)
27% of all African American men, women and children live below the poverty level compared to just 11% of all Americans. An even higher percentage
(38%) of Black children live in poverty compared to 22% of all children in America. The poverty rate for
working-age Black women (26%) which consists of women ages 18 to 64 is higher than that of
working-age Black men (21%).
Poverty rates for Black families vary based on the family type. While
23% of all Black families live below the poverty level
only 8% of Black married couple families live in poverty which is considerably lower than the
37% of Black families headed by single women who live below the poverty line. The highest poverty rates
(46%) are for Black families
with children which are headed by
single Black women. This is significant considering more than half
(55%) of all Black families with children are headed by single women.