Locations
Maine
Statistics on children, youth and families in Maine from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Maine Children's Alliance
- Detailed
- Sort / Rank
Why This Indicator Matters
In the United States, there is significant income inequality based on race and ethnicity. Our history, systems, structures and policies constitute the root causes of this economic inequality. Poverty plays a key role in children's well-being and is related to every KIDS COUNT indicator. Children who live in poverty, especially those who live in poverty for long periods of time, are at an increased risk for poor health, cognitive, social, and educational outcomes. They are more likely to have physical, behavioral, and emotional health problems; to have difficulty in school; to become teen parents; and as adults, earn less.
What the data shows
Due to systemic racism, the rate of poverty for Maine children who were identified in the survey as "American Indian alone", "Black or African American" or "Two or more races" have higher poverty rates than the state child poverty rate. The Black alone child poverty rate in Maine for 2018-2022 was estimated to be 30.3%. This rate for Black children is an improvement from the 53% rate for the 5-year non-overlapping period of 2013-2017. In 2018-2022 non-Hispanic white children make up approximately 82% of all children in poverty in Maine and have a poverty rate of 12.7%, compared to the state rate of 13.4%. Race disparity appears to be smaller than in 2013-2017.
Comparing Maine to the nation, for 2018-2022 Black children were as likely to be in poverty in Maine than in other states the United States. In 2022, an estimated 30% of Black or African American children were in poverty in the United States. Kids Count-U.S. Children in poverty by race
show more
What the data shows
Due to systemic racism, the rate of poverty for Maine children who were identified in the survey as "American Indian alone", "Black or African American" or "Two or more races" have higher poverty rates than the state child poverty rate. The Black alone child poverty rate in Maine for 2018-2022 was estimated to be 30.3%. This rate for Black children is an improvement from the 53% rate for the 5-year non-overlapping period of 2013-2017. In 2018-2022 non-Hispanic white children make up approximately 82% of all children in poverty in Maine and have a poverty rate of 12.7%, compared to the state rate of 13.4%. Race disparity appears to be smaller than in 2013-2017.
Comparing Maine to the nation, for 2018-2022 Black children were as likely to be in poverty in Maine than in other states the United States. In 2022, an estimated 30% of Black or African American children were in poverty in the United States. Kids Count-U.S. Children in poverty by race
Definition and Source
PROVIDER
Definition
The percent of Maine children under age 18 who live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level. In 2022, the poverty threshold for a family of four was $27,750. This data is based on 5-year averages, so 2022 represents 2018-2022. Race is from the US Census American Community Survey categories. "Non-Hispanic White" appears instead of "White alone". The race category of "Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander " and the category, "Some other race" are not included, as the numbers surveyed was too small to produce reliable estimates for these groups.
Data Source
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey five-year estimates,
2018-2022 ACS 5-yr Table B17001B to I
Table B17001B to B17001I.
2018-2022 ACS 5-yr Table B17001B to I
Table B17001B to B17001I.
Notes
For populations such as race and ethnicities in Maine that have fewer than 8,000 children, caution must be used in interpreting the results since the number of households survey in the American Community Survey make the data less accurate and precise for these smaller populations.
Last Updated
January 2024