The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a new report detailing the characteristics of the “working poor”, those whose household income is below the federal poverty limit despite working for at least part of the year.  According to the report, 10.4 million individuals fell into this category in 2011, nearly a quarter of all those in poverty that year.  The composition of the population in poverty has been detailed by the Center’s previous work on societal distress.

There are many social and demographic factors associated with working poverty.  As would probably be assumed, full-time workers were less likely to fall into this category as part-time workers.  Women were more likely than men and blacks and Hispanics were more likely than whites or Asians.

In our previous posts related to the Education and Health Initiative, we have detailed how the relationship between education and health is in some way based on the impact education has on employment prospects and income.  This report from the BLS supports the well known association that the less education an individual attains, the more likely they are to struggle with poverty.  Even just getting a high school diploma cuts the risk of poverty nearly in half.

A lower household income makes it harder to afford basic staples like housing, food, and medical care and decreases the health and well-being of the population.