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United Way of Erie County utilizes American Community Survey data to analyze poverty rates for Erie County. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Census Bureau did not release official American Community Survey data for the year of 2020. Instead, experimental estimates were released that did not include the Erie County region.
2016 Federal Poverty household income was $11,880 (individual) and $24,300 (family of four)
2017 Federal Poverty household income is $12,060 (individual) and $24,600 (family of four)
2018 Federal Poverty household income is $12,140 (individual) and $25,100 (family of four)
2019 Federal Poverty household income is $12,490 (individual) and $25,750 (family of four)
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| Population for whom poverty status is determined | United States
Percent below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania
Below Poverty Line |
Erie County
Below Poverty Line |
City of Erie
Below Poverty Level |
| 2005 | 38,231,474 (13.3%) | 1,420,396 (11.9%) | 37,649 (14.2%) | 18,390 (20.2%) |
| 2006 | 38,757,253 (13.3%) | 1,448,228 (12.1%) | 44,219(16.5%) | 26,586 (26.1%) |
| 2007 | 38,757,253 (13%) | 1,393,026 (11.6%) | 38,410 (14.5%) | 22,534 (24.6%) |
| 2008 | 39,108,822 (13.2%) | 1,458,394 (12.1%) | 38,591 (14.5%) | 22,705 (24.2%) |
| 2009 | 42,868,163 (14.3%) | 1,516,705 (12.1%) | 43,311 (15.8%) | 22,683 (23.1%) |
| 2010 | 46,215,956 (15.3%) | 1,648,184 (13.4%) | 46,718 (17.4%) | 29,484 (30.2%) |
| 2011 | 48,452,035 (15.9%) | 1,6951,996 (13.8%) | 44,205 (16.4%) | 27,270 (28%) |
| 2012 | 48,760,123 (15.9%) | 1,693,285 (13.7%) | 42,462 (22%) | 24,725 (25.7%) |
| 2013 | 48,810,818 (15.8%) | 1,690,405 (13.7%) | 49,005 (18.3%) | 28,114 (29.2%) |
| 2014 | 48,208,387 (15.5%) | 1,682,212 (13.6%) | 43,438 (16.3%) | 23,944 (25.1%) |
| 2015 | 46,153,077 (14.7%) | 1,629,995 (13.2%) | 46,429 (17.5%) | 25,572 (26.9%) |
| 2016 | 44,268,996 (14%) | 1,592,045 (12.9%) | 41,799 (15.9%) | 25,499 (27.3%) |
| 2017 | 42,583,651 (13.8%) | 1,548,720 (12.5%) | 41,865 (16%) | 24,843 (26.9%) |
| 2018 | 41,852,315 (13.1%) | 1,517,870 (12.2%) | 40.132 (15.5%) | 24,614 (27.1%) |
| 2019 | 39,490,096 (12.3%) | 1,489,333 (12.0%) | 44,656 (17.4%) | 25,678 (28.5%) |
| 2021 | 41,393,176 (12.8%) | 1,519,032 (12.1%) | 42,386 (16.5%) | 20,692 (23.3%) |
| Employed
Living In Poverty |
United States
below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania
below Poverty Level |
Erie County below Poverty Level | City of Erie
below Poverty Level |
| 2005 | 8,517,030 (6.2%) | 283,421 (5.0%) | 7,887 (6.4%) | 3,573 (8.8%) |
| 2006 | 8,733,238 (6.2%) | 294,886 (5.1%) | 9,600 (7.6%) | 5,391 (11.8%) |
| 2007 | 8,468,565 (6.0%) | 282,188 (4.8%) | 7,856 (6.2%) | 4,523 (11.0%) |
| 2008 | 9,040,908 (6.2%) | 318,331 (5.3%) | 8,264 (6.6%) | 4,922 (11.4%) |
| 2009 | 9,250,760 (6.6%) | 291,321 (5.0%) | 8,983 (7.1%) | 5,650 (12.4%) |
| 2010 | 9,759,572 (7.1%) | 321,796 (5.6%) | 9,518 (7.7%) | 5,464 (12.8%) |
| 2011 | 10,307,891 (7.4%) | 314,832 (5.4%) | 11,538 (9.1%) | 6,331 (14.7%) |
| 2012 | 10,552,413 (7.4%) | 333,576 (5.7%) | 8,670 (6.9%) | 4,122 (9.7%) |
| 2013 | 10,872,843 (7.5%) | 339,277 (5.7%) | 9,561 (7.5%) | 5,131 (12.0%) |
| 2014 | 11,066,384 (7.5%) | 348,891 (5.8%) | 9,527 (7.7%) | 5,159 (12.3%) |
| 2015 | 10,532,329 (7.0%) | 342,411 (5.7%) | 10,418 (8.3%) |
5,605 (13.0%) |
| 2016 | 10,077,653 (6.6%) | 336,192 (5.6%) | 8,753 (6.9%) | 4,640 (11.5%) |
| 2017 | 9,512,092 (6.2%) | 317,533 (5.2%) | 7,719 (6.4%) | 4,595 (11.6%) |
| 2018 | 9,350,818 (6.0%) | 424,942 (6.5%) | 10,650 (8.3%) | 6,665 (15.5%) |
| 2019 | 8,918,835 (5.6%) | 335,392 (5.4%) | 9,951 (8.1%) | 5,472 (14.0%) |
| 2021 | 8,672,108 (5.6%) | 288,208 (4.7%) | 7,155 (6.1%) | 3,503 (9.1%) |
| Unemployed
Living in Poverty |
United States
below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania
below Poverty Level |
Erie County below Poverty Level | City of Erie
below Poverty Level |
| 2005 | 2,942,831 (29.1%) | 105,947 (26.0%) | 2,471 (25.6%) | 1,425 (35.2%) |
| 2006 | 2,744,987 (28.7%) | 101,372 (26.6%) | 3,076 (31.8%) | 1,833 (43.1%) |
| 2007 | 2,636,143 (27.8%) | 98,540 (27.0%) | 2,207 (29.7%) | 1,379 (45.0%) |
| 2008 | 2,782,629 (28.3%) | 103,004 (28.5%) | 2,727 (27.5%) | 1,282 (28.2%) |
| 2009 | 4,182,911 (27.4%) | 146,306 (25.2%) | 4,709 (35.6%) | 2,029 (38.1%) |
| 2010 | 4,978,163 (29.8%) | 157,763 (25.9%) | 3,946 (31.1%) | 2,630 (44.5%) |
| 2011 | 5,179,420 (32.6%) | 169,515 (28.5%) | 3,061 (21.2%) | 2,022 (32.1%) |
| 2012 | 4,872,011 (33.3%) |
171,072 (30.2%) | 4,229 (34.8%) | 2,324 (48.0%) |
| 2013 | 4,438,490 (33.6%) | 165,442 (31.1%) | 3,424 (34.4%) | 2,657 (55.2%) |
| 2014 | 3,854,681 (33.9%) | 145,960 (32.5%) | 3,018 (32.6%) | 1,643 (40.3%) |
| 2015 | 3,287,344 (33.0%) | 122,866 (30.7%) | 2,556 (29.3%) | 1,381 (40.4%) |
| 2016 | 2,872,590 (31.3%) | 112,047 (30.5%) | 3,845 (49.8%) | 2,730 (61.0%) |
| 2017 | 2,590,535 (30.4%) | 101,502 (29.8%) | 2,835 (35.2%) | 2,139 (53.6%) |
| 2018 | 2,393,406 (30.0%) | 90,329 (28.7%) | 1,655 (29.2%) | 1,196 (38.5%) |
| 2019 | 2,090,290 (28.3%) | 84,102 (28.9%) | 2,197 (34.9%) | 1,575 (46.2%) |
| 2021 | 2,874,391 (27.6%) | 116,000 (28.0%) | 3,229 (33.0%) | 1,588 (42.6%) |
| White
Population living in Poverty |
United States
below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania
below Poverty Level |
Erie County below Poverty Level | City of Erie
below Poverty Level |
| 2005 | 22,370,834 (10.4%) | 929,560 (9.2%) | 32,217 (13.3%) | 13,625 (19.0%) |
| 2006 | 22,657,417 (10.5%) | 935,550 (9.3%) |
32,862 (13.6%) | 16,176 (20.2%) |
| 2007 | 22,283,845 (10.2%) | 898,087 (8.9%) | 29,647 (12.3%) | 14,742 (20.0%) |
| 2008 | 23,934,719 (10.7%) | 965,972 (9.6%) | 28,994 (12.1%) | 14,178 (19.0%) |
| 2009 | 26,270,749 (11.7%) | 991,860 (9.7%) | 34,948 (14.4%) | 16,180 (20.5%) |
| 2010 | 27,951,752 (12.5%) | 1,076,294 (10.6%) | 34,464 (14.4%) | 18,860 (25.0%) |
| 2011 | 29,260,632 (13.0%) | 1,086,711 (10.7%) | 32,228 (13.5%) | 16,250 (22.0%) |
| 2012 | 29,493,814 (13.0%) | 1,078,384 (10.6%) | 28,900 (12.3%) | 12,402 (17.8%) |
| 2013 | 29,701,062 (13.0%) | 1,081,639 (10.7%) | 37,390 (15.8%) | 18,495 (25.6%) |
| 2014 | 29,193,983 (12.8%) | 1,068,947 (10.6%) | 33,084 (14.2%) | 14,900 (21.5%) |
| 2015 | 28,027,149 (12.2%) | 1,036,697 (10.3%) | 35,409 (15.1%) | 16,123 (22.9%) |
| 2016 | 26,653,418 (11.6%) | 1,015,549 (10.1%) | 30,673 (13.2%) | 15,769 (22.3%) |
| 2017 | 25,668,489 (11.1%) | 1,014,213 (10.1%) | 28,978 (12.7%) | 15,521 (22.9%) |
| 2018 | 25,230,693 (10.9%) | 937,874 (9.4%) | 29,332 (13.0%) | 15,031 (22.5%) |
| 2019 | 23,828,085 (10.3%) | 922,707 (9.3%) | 31,826 (14.4%) | 14,837 (23.2%) |
| 2021 | 19,510,415 (9.8%) | 855,801 (9.1%) | 28,956 (13.6%) | 9,289 (15.9%) |
| African American
Population Living in Poverty |
United
States below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania
below Poverty Level |
Erie County below Poverty Level | City of Erie
below Poverty Level |
| 2005 | 8,889,138 (25.6%) | 353,255 (29.4%) | N/A | N/A |
| 2006 | 8,968,940 (25.3%) | 351,178 (29.0%) | 7,698 (47.8%) | 7,594 (49.3%) |
| 2007 | 8,806,842 (24.7%) | 322,289 (26.7%) | 4,508 (34.4%) | 3,944 (34.0%) |
| 2008 | 8,661,570 (24.1%) | 332,244 (27.4%) | 7,023 (46.0%) | 6,588 (47.7%) |
| 2009 | 9,407,955 (25.8%) | 353,136 (28.4%) | 4,474 (31.6%) | 4,345 (33.3%) |
| 2010 | 10,099,631 (27.1%) | 367,398 (28.4%) | 8,313 (44.7%) | 7,488 (45.5%) |
| 2011 | 10,543,367 (28.1%) | 392,487 (30.4%) | 7,223 (40.0%) | 6,862 (44.7%) |
| 2012 | 10,665,149 (28.1%) | 387,800 (29.5%) | 7,985 (43.4%) | 7,470 (475.3%) |
| 2013 | 10,538,290 (27.6%) | 370,273 (28.0%) | 6,829 (37.9%) | 6,002 (38.5%) |
| 2014 | 10,434,389 (27.0%) | 392,947 (29.5%) | 4,670 (27.3%) | 4,589 (28.7%) |
| 2015 | 9,905,872 (25.4%) | 378,173 (28.5%) | 6,795 (37.2%) | 6,211 (38.0%) |
| 2016 | 9,366,792 (23.9%) | 350,149 (26.4%) | 8,434 (46.7%) | 7,904 (52.0%) |
| 2017 | 9,122,033 (23.0%) | 336,427 (24.8%) | 6,059 (36.1%) | 4,033 (29.0%) |
| 2018 | 8,971,239 (22.5%) | 350,658 (26.1%) | 6,903 (38.9%) | 6,285 (41.2%) |
| 2019 | 8,557,464 (21.2%) | 341,424 (24.9%) | 7,634 (47.9%) | 7,179 (52.2%) |
| 2021 | 8,402,643 (21.8%) | 316,173 (24.8%) | 5,109 (29.2%) | 4,933 (31.4%) |
| Hispanic/Latino Population Living in Poverty | United
States below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania below Poverty Level | Erie County below Poverty Level | City of Erie
below Poverty Level |
| 2005 | 9,315,923 (22.4%) | 152,104 (31.7%) | N/a | N/A |
| 2006 | 9,293,416 (21.5%) | 143,594 (28.6%) | N/A | N/A |
| 2007 | 9,219,100 (20.7%) | 169,302 (31.9%) | 2,823 (43.1%) | 2,451 (51.1%) |
| 2008 | 9,794,706 (21.3%) | 171,576 (29.9%) | 1,904 (24.5%) | N/A |
| 2009 | 11,130,896 (23.5%) | 181,706 (29.3%) | 3,382 (42.5%) | 2,883 (48.1%) |
| 2010 | 12,306,535 (24.8%) | 232,292 (33.5%) | 2,910 (31.6%) | 2,641 (44.2%) |
| 2011 | 13,126,374 (25.8%) | 239,624 (33.3%) | 3,820 (42.0%) | 3,560 (49.0%) |
| 2012 | 13,157,055 (25.4%) | 251,810 (33.4%) | 3,772 (38.5%) | 3,156 (50.1%) |
| 2013 | 13,089,210 (24.8%) | 258,190 (33.2%) | 4,640 (46.6%) | 4,103 (59.5%) |
| 2014 | 13,079,584 (24.1%) | 255,740 (31.8%) | 3,964 (39.8%) | 3,509 (55.0%) |
| 2015 | 12,505,613 (22.6%) | 252,451 (30.3%) | 4,937 (47.3%) | 4,240 (55.9%) |
| 2016 | 11,814,468 (21.0%) | 259,823 (30.0%) | 4,763 (44.9%) | 4,195 (52.2%) |
| 2017 | 11,173,521 (19.4%) | 260,303 (28.7%) | 4,451 (40.6%) | 3,590 (53.2%) |
| 2018 | 11,025,445 (18.8%) | 247,710 (26.3%) | 5,225 (45.7%) | 4,536 (67.5%) |
| 2019 | 10,201,081 (17.2%) | 252,255 (26.2%) | 3,774 (33.0%) | 2,531 (28.2%) |
| 2021 | 10,759,082 (17.5%) | 237,254 (22.5%) | 4,081 (32.2%) | 3,776 (49.0%) |
| Males Living in Poverty | United
States Percent below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania
Below Poverty Line |
Erie County
Below Poverty Line |
City of Erie
Below Poverty Level |
| 2005 | 16,570,504 (11.8%) | 593,269 (10.3%) | 18,180 (14%) | 8,887 (20.5%) |
| 2006 | 16,963,560 (11.9%) | 623,939 (10.7%) | 20,677 (15.7%) | 13,125 (25.8%) |
| 2007 | 16,576,071 (11.5%) | 586,789 (10.1%) | 18,103 (13.9%) | 11,074 (25%) |
| 2008 | 17,208,986 (11.8%) | 625,382 (10.7%) | 17,152 (3.1%) | 10,352 (23.1%) |
| 2009 | 19,183,762 (13.1%) | 648,467 (11%) | 18,431 (14.2%) | 10,130 (21.3%) |
| 2010 | 20,850,219 (14.1%) | 125,169 (12.1%) | 20,766 (15.9%) | 13,106 (28.8%) |
| 2011 | 21,825,281 (14.7%) | 749,598 (12.5%) | 19,094 (14.6%) | 11,627 (25%) |
| 2012 | 21,910,739 (14.6%) | 749,388 (12.5%) | 19,094 (15%) | 12,640 (26.8%) |
| 2013 | 21,938,525 (14.5%) | 752,986 (12.5%) | 22,114 (16.9%) | 12,446 (26.1%) |
| 2014 | 21,590,918 (14.2%) | 746,833 (12.4%) | 18,733 (14.5%) | 11,005 (23.9%) |
| 2015 | 20,599,407 (13.4%) | 719,852 (11.9%) | 20,029 (15.4%) | 10,945 (23.7%) |
| 2016 | 19,760,056 (12.8%) | 703,375 (11.7%) | 18,741 (14.6%) | 11,702 (26.1%) |
| 2017 | 19,004,547 (12.2%) | 675,818 (11.2%) | 17,702 (13.9%) | 11,067 (24.4%) |
| 2018 | 18,550,942 (11.9%) | 678,853 (11.2%) | 19,406 (15.4%) | 13,628 (29.2%) |
| 2019 | 17,473,451 (11.1%) | 661,362 (10.9%) | 19,098 (15.4%) | 11,586 (26.5%) |
| 2021 | 18,518,155 (11.6%) | 662,566 (10.7%) | 16,633 (13.3%) | 7,578 (18.0%) |
| Females Living in Poverty | United States
Percent below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania Below Poverty Line |
Erie County
Below Poverty Line |
City of Erie Percent below Poverty Level |
| 2005 | 21,660,970 (14.8%) | 827,127 (13.4%) | 19,469 (14.3%) |
9,503 (19.9%) |
| 2006 | 21,793,693 (14.7%) | 824,289 (13.3%) | 23,542 (17.2%) |
13,461 (26.4%) |
| 2007 | 21,476,176 (14.3%) | 806,237 (13.1%) | 20,307 (15.2%) |
11,460 (24.2%) |
| 2008 | 17,208,986 (11.8%) | 625,382 (10.7%) | 17,152 (13.1%) |
12,353 (25.3%) |
| 2009 | 23,684,401 (15.6%) | 868,238 (13.9%) | 23,880 (17.3%) |
12,553 (24.8%) |
| 2010 | 25,365,737 (16.5%) | 923,015 (14.6%) | 25,952 (18.8%) |
16,378 (31.4%) |
| 2011 | 26,626,754 (17.2%) | 946,398 (14.9%) | 25,111 (28.2%) |
15,643 (30.8%) |
| 2012 | 26,849,384 (17.2%) | 943,897 (14.9%) | 22,802 (16.7%) |
12,085 (24.6%) |
| 2013 | 26,872,343 (17.2%) | 937,469 (14.8%) | 26,891 (19.6%) |
15,668 (32.3%) |
| 2014 | 26,617,496 (16.8%) | 935,379 (14.7%) | 24,705 (18%) |
12,939 (26.3%) |
| 2015 | 25,553,670 (16%) | 910,143 (14.3%) | 26,400 (19.4%) |
14,627 (30%) |
| 2016 | 24,508,940 (15.2%) | 888,670 (14%) | 23,058 (17.1%) |
13,797 (28.3%) |
| 2017 | 23,579,108 (14.5%) | 872,906 (13.7%) | 24,163 (18%) |
13,776 (29.3%) |
| 2018 | 23,301,373 (14.3%) | 839,017 (13.2%) | 20,726 (15.6%) | 10,986 (24.8%) |
| 2019 | 22,016,645 (13.5%) | 827,971 (13.0%) | 25,558 (19.3%) | 14,092 (30.3%) |
| 2021 | 22,875,021 (13.9%) | 856,466 (13.4%) | 25,753 (19.5%) | 13,115 (28.1%) |
| Children Under 18 living in poverty | United States
Percent below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania
Below Poverty Line |
Erie County
Below Poverty Line |
City of Erie
Below Poverty Level |
| 2005 | 13,360,273 (18.5%) | 460,616 (16.7%) | 11,254 (17.4%) |
5,704 (24.1%) |
| 2006 | 13,285,569 (18.3%) | 464,686 (16.9%) | 16,515 (25.6%) |
10,290 (40%) |
| 2007 | 13,097,100 (18%) | 446,686 (16.3%) | 14,172 (22.5%) |
8,950 (40.7%) |
| 2008 | 13,240,870 (18%) | 455,488 (16.8%) | 13,471 (21.9%) |
8,587 (37.4%) |
| 2009 | 14,656,962 (20%) | 466,638 (17.1%) | 13,366 (21.6%) |
6,838 (30.2%) |
| 2010 | 16,386,500 (22.5%) | 522,189 (19.2%) | 15,142 (24.7%) |
10,521 (43.1%) |
| 2011 | 16,386,500 (22.5%) | 521,160 (19.2%) | 15,878 (25.7%) |
10,730 (47.3%) |
| 2012 | 16,396,863 (22.6%) | 532,166 (19.7%) | 13,414 (22%) |
8,236 (36.5%) |
| 2013 | 16,086,960 (22.2%) | 516,390 (19.4%) | 17,089 (28.4%) |
9,649 (45.5%) |
| 2014 | 15,086,960 (21.7%) | 514,292 (19.4%) | 13,550 (22.7%) |
7,961 (35.7%) |
| 2015 | 15,000,273 (20.7%) | 512,793 (19.4%) | 16,141 (27.2%) |
8,615 (38.2%) |
| 2016 | 14,115,713 (19.5%) | 486,029 (18.5%) | 14,252 (24.4%) |
9,123 (40.6%) |
| 2017 | 13,353,202 (18.4%) | 444,486 (17%) | 14,452 (24.9%) |
9,373 (43.5%) |
| 2018 | 12,997,532 (18.0%) | 434,736 (16.8%) | 11,961 (21.1%) |
7,788 (38.9%) |
| 2019 | 12,000,470 (16.8%) | 434,904 (16.9%) | 14,487 (26.2%) |
9,245 (44.6%) |
| 2021 | 12,243,219 (16.9%) | 445,513 (16.9%) | 15,211 (27.2%) |
7,455 (35.9%) |
| Under 5 Years Old | United States
Percent below Poverty Level |
Pennsylvania
Below Poverty Line |
Erie County
Below Poverty Line |
City of Erie
Below Poverty Level |
| 2015 | 4,448,211 (22.8%) | 149,390 (21.2%) | 5,782 (36.7%) | 3,339 (46.7%) |
| 2016 | 4,156,949 (21.3%) | 141,094 (20.2%) | 4,310 (28.3%) | 3,152 (42.1%) |
| 2017 | 3,932,969 (20.2%) | 135,492 (19.5%) | 5,072 (34.1%) | 2,784 (44.1%) |
| 2018 | 3,758,704 (19.5%) | 121,224 (17.6%) | 3,033 (20.8%) | 1,851 (38.4%) |
| 2019 | 3,457,689 (18.2%) | 118,512 (17.4%) | 4,523 (30.8%) | 2,282 (44.9%) |
| 2021 | 3,349,149 (18.3%) | 120,064 (18.0%) | 4,309 (31.3%) | 2,639 (41.7%) |
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