This report presents data on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the United States based on information collected in the 2009 and earlier Annual Social and Economic Supplements (ASEC) to the Current Population survey (CPS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.  Data presented in this report indicate the following:

• Real median household income fell between 2007 and 2008, and the decline was widespread.  Median income fell for family and non-family households, native- and foreign-born households, households in 3 of the 4 regions, and households of each race category and those of Hispanic origin.  These declines in income coincide with the recession that started in December 2007. 
• The poverty rate increased between 2007 and 2008. 
• The percentage of uninsured in 2008 was not statistically different from 2007, while the number of uninsured increased between 2007 and 2008.

These results, though widespread, were not uniform across groups. For example, between 2007 and 2008, real median income was statistically unchanged for households maintained by a person 65 years old and over but declined for households maintained by people of all other age group categories.  Additionally, the poverty rate increased for children under 18 and for people 18 to 64 but remained statistically unchanged for people 65 and over; and the percentage of uninsured for non-Hispanic Whites, Asians, and Hispanics increased, while the percentage of uninsured for Blacks was not statistically different. 

These results are discussed in more detail in the three main sections of this report—income, poverty, and health insurance coverage. Each section presents estimates by characteristics such as race, Hispanic origin, nativity, and region. Other topics include earnings of full-time, year-round workers; families in poverty; and health insurance coverage of children.  

Full report: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008 (PDF | 3 MB)

U.S. Census Bureau. (2009). Current population reports, P60-236, income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the United States: 2008. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.  DeNavas-Walt, C., Proctor, B.D., and Smith, J.C.