The Economic Consequences of Homelessness in The US

Among Whites and Blacks, the working-poor rate was higher for women than for men.
The rates for White women and White men who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor
force were 5.2 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively. The rate for Black women was
13.3 percent, compared with 8.8 percent for Black men. Among Asians and Hispanics,
the rates for women and men were little different from each other.
Young workers are more likely to be poor than are workers in older age groups, in part
because earnings are lower for young workers and the unemployment rate for young
workers is higher. Among youths who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 10.8
percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 12.2 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds were living in
poverty in 2015. Those rates were considerably higher than the rates for workers ages
25 to 34 (6.6 percent) and 35 to 44 (6.4 percent). Workers ages 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and
65 and older had lower working-poor rates—3.7 percent, 3.4 percent, and 1.6 percent,
respectively—than did the younger age groups.
Educational Attainment
Achieving higher levels of education reduces the incidence of living in poverty.
Individuals who complete more years of education usually have greater access to
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