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You are here:   Home → Social Environment → Children Living in Poverty
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Indicator: Children Living in Poverty

Data and Data Discussion provided by Communities Count

Figure 1: Percent of People and Children Living Below 100% of Poverty Level

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Upstream Indicators

There are currently no published Upstream Indicators.

Downstream Indicators
  •   Adequate Food --- Previous surveys carried out from 1995 to 1999 showed a much lower rate of concern among King County residents over having enough food than did the 2003 survey findings on whether household food money lasted. As the survey questions differed, trend data are not available. In 2003, King County had a lower rate of food insecurity than the state average of 11.9%, and Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap Counties had rates equal to or higher than the average (Children’s Alliance, Hungry in Washington, 2006).   (view data graph)
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Sustainability Snapshot:

Growing up in poverty greatly increases the probability that a child will be exposed to environments and experiences that pose developmental threats. Poverty during early childhood may be more damaging than poverty experienced at later ages, particularly for academic achievement. Poverty both in the family and in the surrounding neighborhood, which affects minority children to a much greater extent, imposes a double risk.

Sustainability Trend:

From 1999 to 2004, the percentage of King County's children living in poverty increased from 9.9% to 13.3%.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Percent and Number of Children Age 0-17 Living Below 100% of Federal Poverty Level, King County.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

The federal poverty level is a threshold income limit that varies according to family size and composition and is adjusted each year. All persons living in a household with a total annual income below that threshold dollar amount are counted in the 100% poverty statistics. For a family of 4, the 100% poverty level income in 2004 was $19,300. From 1999 to 2004, the percentage of King County’s children living in poverty increased from 9.9% to 13.3%. This represents almost 50,000 children. Of the four regions in 1999, Seattle had the greatest percentage of all persons and children in poverty (11.8% and 14.5%, respectively) (data on poverty were not available by region for 2004).

Data Source and Limitations

Data was contributed by Communities Count (www.communitiescount.org).  The original income and poverty data for 1979, 1989 and 1999 are from the 1980, 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census respectively.  For these data, the geographic boundaries of King County and the four subregions are defined by aggregating census tracts. Income and poverty data for 2004 are from the 2004 American Community Survey data. These survey data are from a sample and therefore are subject to error. At the time of publication the 2004 data were not available by region, or by race and ethnicity.

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