Change Indicator

Children age 12 to 17 years in poverty in Puerto Rico

Children age 12 to 17 years in poverty

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Why This Indicator Matters

Growing up in poverty is one of the greatest threats to healthy child development. It increases the likelihood that a child will be exposed to factors that can impair his or her brain development and lead to poor academic, cognitive and health outcomes. It also can result in higher rates of risky health-related behaviors among adolescents. Extended exposure to poverty also contributes to worse teen and adult outcomes. And the risks posed by economic hardship are greatest among children who experience poverty when they are young and among those who experience persistent and deep poverty. 
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Definition and Source

PROVIDER

Definition

Children between 12 and 17 years old who live in families with incomes below the U.S. poverty threshold, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. These federal thresholds definitions considers three parameters: family composition, family income, and the annual inflation. For example, in 2014, the poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children was $24,008. 

To determine the family income it is considered: earnings, unemployment compensation, workers' compensation, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, public assistance, veterans' payments, survivor benefits, pension or retirement income, interest, dividends, rents, royalties, income from estates, trusts, educational assistance, alimony, child support, assistance from outside the household, and other miscellaneous sources.

On the other side, these values does not includes information about unrelated individuals under age 15, institutional group quarters (such as prisons or nursing homes), nursing homes, college dormitories, military barracks and people living situations without conventional housing (and who are not in shelters). Also noncash benefits like food stamps, housing subsides, capital gain or losses, and the income of non- relatives in the household are not considered.  

Data Source

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey. 5-Year Estimates. Retrieve from: www.data.census.gov 

Notes

Last Updated

May 2024