Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in United States
United States: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day was 1.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in United States, 1963–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in United States is 1.8%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.3% on the previous year and down 21.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in United States peaked at 5.2% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2021.
United States ranks 96th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 5.2% | — |
| 1964 | 4.9% | -5.8% |
| 1965 | 4.2% | -14.3% |
| 1966 | 4.6% | +9.5% |
| 1967 | 3.7% | -19.6% |
| 1968 | 3.2% | -13.5% |
| 1969 | 2.8% | -12.5% |
| 1970 | 3.3% | +17.9% |
| 1971 | 3.0% | -9.1% |
| 1972 | 2.8% | -6.7% |
| 1973 | 2.7% | -3.6% |
| 1974 | 2.7% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2.7% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | -11.1% |
| 1977 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2.5% | +4.2% |
| 1979 | 1.8% | -28.0% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | -5.6% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | +5.9% |
| 1982 | 2.2% | +22.2% |
| 1983 | 2.4% | +9.1% |
| 1984 | 2.1% | -12.5% |
| 1985 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | -14.3% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | -11.1% |
| 1989 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.7% | +6.2% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | +17.6% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | -5.3% |
| 1996 | 1.6% | -11.1% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | +12.5% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | -11.1% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +11.8% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2.1% | +10.5% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -9.5% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | +15.8% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | +9.5% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | -8.7% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | -9.1% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | -10.0% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | -22.2% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -21.4% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | +100.0% |
| 2023 | 2.1% | -4.5% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | -14.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.1% | 2.8% | 5.2% | 7 |
| 1970s | 2.6% | 1.8% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More poverty & inequality data for United States
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 8,414 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 24.85 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 24.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in United States?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in United States was 1.8% in 2024, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 1963.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2021.
- How does United States rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day?
- United States ranks 96th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $8.30 per day.