ES 1.4

LIFETIME CHILDHOOD POVERTY

The majority of children never experience poverty while growing up, and, among those who do, most are in poverty for only a small portion of their childhood. Many children, however, and particularly many black children, spend a large proportion of their formative years living in poverty, with correspondingly negative consequences for their development and well-being.⁹

Changes in Childhood Poverty Over Time. Although 64 percent of all children who turned age 18 between 1985 and 1987 were never poor, 10 percent were poor for six or more years through age 17 (see Figure ES 1.4.A and Table ES 1.4). Six percent were poor for eleven or more years, and 1 percent were poor for all 17 years. Children turning age 18 three years later show a similar pattern, though they were somewhat more likely to have been poor for a greater number of years, with 14 percent poor for six or more years, and 8 percent poor for eleven or more years.

Differences by Race. The risk of experiencing long-term poverty in childhood varies substantially by race (see Figure ES 1.4.B and Table ES 1.4). Of the nonblack children who turned age 18 between 1988 and 1990, 73 percent never experienced poverty while growing up, only 8 percent were poor for six or more years, and only 4 percent were poor for at least eleven years. By contrast, nearly one half (47 percent) of all black children in that cohort were poor for six or more years, 28 percent for eleven or more years, and 6 percent for all seventeen years of their childhoods.