Poverty Status in South Carolina
Poverty is measured by using 48 thresholds that vary by family size and number of children within the family and age of the householder. To determine whether a person is poor, one compares the total income of that person's family with the threshold appropriate for that family. If the total family income is less than the threshold, then the person is considered poor, together with every member of his or her family. Not every person is included in the poverty universe: institutionalized people, people in military group quarters, people living in college dormitories, and unrelated individuals under 15 years old are considered neither as 'poor' nor as 'nonpoor,' and are excluded from both the numerator and the denominator when calculating poverty rates.
Poverty Status: 1999
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Population for Whom Poverty Status is Determined | 3,883,329 | 100.0 | 273,882,232 | 100.0 |
| Below Poverty | 547,869 | 14.1 | 33,899,812 | 12.4 |
| Above Poverty | 3,335,460 | 85.9 | 239,982,420 | 87.6 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000. SF3, Table PCT49.
Individuals Below Poverty Level: 1989, 1999
| 1989 | 1999 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| South Carolina | 517,793 | 15.4 | 547,869 | 14.1 |
| United States | 31,742,864 | 13.1 | 33,899,812 | 12.4 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 1990 and 2000.
Poverty Status by Sex
Women are more likely than men to have incomes below poverty. In South Carolina in 1999, 12.3 percent of men and 15.8 percent of women lived below the poverty level.
Poverty Status of Males: 1999
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Total Male Population | 1,869,403 | 100.0 | 133,578,387 | 100.0 |
| Below Poverty | 230,546 | 12.3 | 14,925,062 | 11.2 |
| Above Poverty | 1,638,857 | 87.7 | 118,653,325 | 88.8 |
Poverty Status of Females: 1999
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Total Female Population | 2,013,926 | 100.0 | 140,303,845 | 100.0 |
| Below Poverty | 317,323 | 15.8 | 18,974,750 | 13.5 |
| Above Poverty | 1,696,603 | 84.2 | 121,329,095 | 86.5 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000. SF3, Table PCT49.