Money income and poverty status of families and persons in the United States: 1982 (advance data from the March 1983 Current Population Survey).

This report presents data on the income and poverty status of families and persons in the US for 1986. Data were compiled from information collected in the March 1987 Current Population Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census. 60,500 households were surveyed nationwide. Highlights of the data follow. 1) In 1986, median family income was $29,460, 4.2% higher than the 1985 median of $27,740 after adjusting for inflation. 2) Since 1982, when the last economic recession ended, real median family income rose a total of 10.7%. 3) The median earnings of both men and women working year-round full-time increased significantly in real terms between 1985 and 1986. 4) In 1986, per capita income was $11,670, up 4% from 1985 in real terms. Whites averaged $12,350 per year, Blacks $7,210, and Hispanics $7000, all higher than in 1985. 5) The number of persons below the poverty level was 32.4 million in 1986. The difference between this figure and the 1985 estimate of 33.1 million is not statistically significant. 6) The poverty rate was 13.6% in 1986, compared to 14% in 1985. The 1986 poverty rate was 11% for Whites, 31% for Blacks, 27% for Hispanics, and 16% for persons of other races. 7) The number and percentage of persons in poverty have declined since the recent peak level of 1983, when the number of persons in poverty was 35.3 million and the poverty rate was 15.2%.