The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), providing single-year 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 determining how federal funds are distributed under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. These funds are allocated based on the number and percentage of children from low-income families within each school district. The U.S. Department of Education will use these estimates to calculate fiscal year 2027 funding for states and school districts during the 2026-2027 academic year.
The report also shows that county-level median household income in 2024 ranged from $34,802 to $177,457, with a median of $66,757 across all counties. Between 2023 and 2024, median household income increased in 10.1% of counties and decreased in 1.8%.
County-level poverty rates varied widely, ranging from 3.8% to 55.7%, with a median rate of 13.2%. From the previous year, poverty rates fell in 4.5% of counties but rose in 1.9%. For school-age children (ages 5 to 17), county-level poverty rates ranged from 2.4% to as high as 76.7%, with a median rate of 16.1%.
Additional tables included with this release provide detailed statistics on household income, numbers of people living in poverty by age group at both state and local levels, and breakdowns for specific age ranges such as children younger than five or under eighteen years old.
The SAIPE program uses statistical model-based methods that combine sample survey information with decennial census data and administrative records to produce its estimates.
“SAIPE data are used to allocate funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. School districts receive Title I funds based on their number and percentage of children from low-income families. The U.S. Department of Education plans to use the 2024 estimates to calculate and provide fiscal year 2027 funding to states and school districts in the 2026-2027 school year for Title I and several other federal education programs.”
For more details about how these estimates are produced, readers can review information on SAIPE methodology.
