Ratio of Income to Poverty Level by Race in South Carolina
The ratio of income to poverty level can be used not just to categorize people as above or below the poverty line, but also to measure the degree or depth of poverty. The ratio of income to poverty compares a person's income with their poverty threshold, and expresses that comparison as a fraction. For example, a poverty ratio of 1.00 (income at 100% of poverty level) means a person is living right at the poverty line; a ratio of .50 (income at 50% of poverty level) would mean that the person is living in a household making only half of the income designated as the poverty threshold.
The Census Bureau describes those with family incomes below one half of their poverty threshold as being "severely poor." People with incomes at or above their threshold but below 125 percent of their threshold are classified as "near poor."
View the poverty thresholds used by the Census Bureau in 1999.
White Alone Population: 1999
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| White Alone Population for Whom Poverty Status is Determined | 2,622,582 | 100.0 | 206,259,768 | 100.0 |
| Under 50% of Poverty | 98,927 | 3.8 | 8,089,936 | 3.9 |
| Under 75% of Poverty | 152,221 | 5.8 | 12,862,800 | 6.2 |
| Under 100% of Poverty | 224,339 | 8.6 | 18,847,674 | 9.1 |
| Under 125% of Poverty | 312,114 | 11.9 | 25,918,531 | 12.6 |
| Under 150% of Poverty | 416,821 | 15.9 | 33,821,971 | 16.4 |
| Under 175% of Poverty | 521,783 | 19.9 | 41,829,394 | 20.3 |
| Under 185% of Poverty | 569,528 | 21.7 | 45,373,960 | 22.0 |
| Under 200% of Poverty | 636,236 | 24.3 | 50,203,809 | 24.3 |
| 200% of Poverty or Above | 1,986,346 | 75.7 | 156,055,959 | 75.7 |
African-American Alone Population: 1999
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| African-American Alone Population for Whom Poverty Status is Determined | 1,132,422 | 100.0 | 32,714,224 | 100.0 |
| Under 50% of Poverty | 140,482 | 12.4 | 4,095,524 | 12.5 |
| Under 75% of Poverty | 217,441 | 19.2 | 6,091,650 | 18.6 |
| Under 100% of Poverty | 298,418 | 26.4 | 8,146,146 | 24.9 |
| Under 125% of Poverty | 381,665 | 33.7 | 10,171,092 | 31.1 |
| Under 150% of Poverty | 464,696 | 41.0 | 12,146,119 | 37.1 |
| Under 175% of Poverty | 540,300 | 47.7 | 13,944,340 | 42.6 |
| Under 185% of Poverty | 568,452 | 50.2 | 14,659,639 | 44.8 |
| Under 200% of Poverty | 607,482 | 53.6 | 15,628,283 | 47.8 |
| 200% of Poverty or Above | 524,940 | 46.4 | 17,085,941 | 52.2 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000. SF4, Table PCT141.