Poverty Rate Soars In U.S.: See Latest Data For FL

FLORIDA — New data released by the U.S. Census shows Florida is one of five states where the median household income increased last year, along with Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, and Utah.

Florida’s median household income is $94,991, which is about $20,000 higher than the nation’s median household income of $74,755, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Overall, the real median household income for the U.S. fell by 2.3 percent from $76,330 in 2021 to $74,580 in 2022.

The U.S. Census Bureau used both the official poverty measure and the better-regarded supplemental poverty measure to assess how incomes fared. The supplemental measure is widely considered a better metric because it compares people’s spending on food, clothing, shelter, utilities, phone and internet with that of a median household

The Census Bureau included three-year averages for each state. Here’s what it found.

Poverty Rates In Florida, 2020-22

Official Poverty Measure

• People living in poverty: 2.861 million
• Percent: 13.1 percent

Supplemental Poverty Measure

• People living in poverty: 2.774 million
• Percent: 12.7 percent

Breaking down the statistics in Florida of median income by types of families:

The US median household income in 2022 was $74,755, while Florida was about $5,000 lower at $69,303.

• FL Families: $83,410
• Married couple families: $98,444
• Non family households: $43,665

Take a look at which states ranked as the 5 highest and 5 lowest for median household income:

Top 5:

1. New Jersey - $96,346
2. Maryland - $94,991
3. Massachusetts - $94,488
4. Hawaii - $92,458
5. California - $91,551

Bottom 5:

1. Kentucky - $59,341
2. Arkansas - $55,432
3. Louisana - $55,416
4. West Virginia - $54,329
5. Mississippi - $52,719.

While the official poverty measure of 11.5 percent in 2022 was statistically no different from 2021, the government said the supplemental measure shot up to 12.4 percent. It was the first increase in the supplemental number since 2010, the Census Bureau said.

A total of 17 states saw decreases, while 28 states saw almost no change. Nationwide, median income fell by 0.8 percent.

These findings come from three Census Bureau reports: Income in the United States: 2022, Poverty in the United States: 2022, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2022.

Overall, about 37.9 million Americans were living in poverty last year.

Nationally, the number of poor people under the SMP was lower, at around 32.2 million people, or 9.8 percent of the population. The rate was much higher in some places — 14.8 percent in Washington, D.C., for example.

Other highlights from the report:

• While 92.1 percent of the U.S. population had health insurance in 2022, an estimated 25.9 million people did not. That’s up from 27.2 million people who didn’t have health insurance of any kind in 2021.
• Real household income fell by 2.3 percent, from $76,330 in 2021 to $74,580 in 2022. During the same period, inflation rose 7.8 percent — the largest annual increase in the cost-of-living adjustment since 1981.
• Real median earnings of workers, both full- and part-time, decreased 2.2 percent between 2021 and 2022, while the median earnings of those who worked full-time, year-round decreased 1.3 percent.
• The number of full-time, year-round workers increased by 3.4 percent, compared to a 1.7 percent increase in the number of total workers. The data shows a continuing shift from part-time or part-year work to year-round, full-time employment, the government said.

The findings come from three Census Bureau reports: Income in the United States: 2022, Poverty in the United States: 2022, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2022. All three reports are based primarily on government data from the Census Bureau's monthly population surveys and Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.

People under age 65 experienced a 1.4 percent decline in median household income, while those over 65 saw little change.

The Gini index, which measures income inequality, decreased by 1.2 percent from 2021 to 2022. It was the first downward movement in the index since 2007, but was still 0.488 on a scale in which 0.0 indicates perfect equality and 1.0 indicates total inequality.