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Press Releases
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733,000 Children Fell into Poverty — 580,000 into Extreme Poverty in 2003
Latino and Black Children Hardest Hit |
Washington, DC - The overwhelming majority of newly poor Americans are children, according to an analysis by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) of U.S. Census Bureau data released yesterday. The data show a one-year increase of nearly three quarters of a million children living in poverty, bringing the total number of poor children to 12.9 million. This is a significant increase from the 12.1 million children living in poverty in 2002. The total number of people living in poverty rose by 1.3 million to 35.9 million.
"This tragic growth in child poverty reflects conscious and misguided political choices," said Marian Wright Edelman, President of CDF. "How can the Bush Administration and Congressional leaders continue to give enormous tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, while denying low-income working families and their children a modest minimum wage increase and refundable tax credits, and continue cutting the budgets for programs that assist poor children?"
Child poverty grew among all racial groups. Key findings from the Census data show:
- Extreme child poverty grew 11.5 percent in one year. Extreme poverty means living with annual incomes below $7,412 for a family of three.
- Latino children suffered the largest increase among all racial groups: an additional 295,000 Latino children fell into poverty. The four million Latino children now living in poverty represent 30 percent of all Latino children.
- The number of Black children living in poverty increased by 232,000, meaning one in every three Black children is poor.
- The number of White children living in poverty increased by 143,000.
- Half a million of the newly poor children live in a household with a single mother.
This year marks the second year in a row in which child poverty increased. Edelman noted that far less wealthy industrialized countries have committed to end child poverty, while the United States is sliding backwards. We can do better. We must demand that our leaders do better.
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The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds. |
Defining Poverty and Why It Matters for Children