Economic Security:
This is a key area regarding the well-being of Latino children. The indicators
used span family income, family poverty status, parental employment, housing
problems, food security, and access to health care. In 1999 the proportions
of Latino children under 18 living in families with incomes below 50 percent,
100 percent, and 150 percent of the poverty threshold were all higher
than those for the total population and non-Latino whites.
In single female-headed
households, Latino adolescents were twice as likely to have family incomes
below the poverty line as their non-Latino white counterparts. The most
recent indicator for parental employment shows that 71 percent Latino
children under age 18 are living in families where at least one parent
was employed full time all year round. The comparable figure for non-Latino
whites was 84 percent.
Table 2. Indicators
of Children's Well-Being: Economic Security
| Indicator
Name |
Description
of Indicator |
Year
|
Non-Latino
White
|
Latino
|
Total
|
|
|
| Child
Poverty and Family Income |
Percentage
of children under age 18 living below 100% poverty1 |
1999
|
9.0%
|
30.0%
|
16.0%
|
|
|
| - |
Percentage
of children under age 18 living below 50% poverty2 |
1999
|
3.0%
|
11.0%
|
6.0%
|
|
---
|
| - |
Percentage
of children under age 18 living below 150% poverty3 |
1999
|
17.0%
|
49.0%
|
28.0%
|
| - |
- |
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| - |
Percentage
of adolescents in poverty by family structure, race, and Hispanic
origin among adolescents 10-17 years of age |
1998
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
| -- |
- |
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| - |
Adolescents in all families |
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
| - |
Poor 4 |
-
|
9.2%
|
32.0%
|
16.7%
|
| - |
Near Poor5 |
-
|
15.6%
|
31.9%
|
20.0%
|
| - |
- |
--
|
--
|
--
|
-
|
| - |
Adolescents in married couple families |
--
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
| - |
Poor |
---
|
4.7%
|
21.0%
|
7.7%
|
| - |
Near Poor |
--
|
12.3%
|
35.3%
|
17.1%
|
| - |
- |
---
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| - |
Adolescents in female householder families |
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| - |
Poor |
-
|
27.1%
|
54.2%
|
40.2%
|
| - |
Near Poor |
-
|
28.0%
|
25.3%
|
27.2%
|
|
---
|
| Secure
Parental Employment |
Percentage
of children under age 18 living with parents with at least one parent
employed full time all year |
1999
|
84.0%
|
71.0%
|
79.0%
|
|
|
| Table
2. Indicators of Children's Well-Being: Economic Security (Continued)
|
| Indicator
Name |
Description
of Indicator |
Year
|
Non-Latino
White
|
Latino
|
Total
|
|
-
|
| Housing
Problems |
Percentage
of households with children under age 18 that report housing problems |
1999
|
NA
|
NA
|
35.0%
|
|
|
| Food
Security |
Percentage
of households with hunger among children |
2000
|
0.3%
|
1.4%
|
0.7%
|
| -- |
-- |
--
|
--
|
--
|
-
|
| - |
Percentage
of children ages 2 to 5 with a good diet |
1996
|
NA
|
NA
|
24.0%
|
|
--
|
| Access
to Health Care |
Percentage
of children under age 18 covered by health insurance |
1999
|
91.0%
|
73.0%
|
86.0%
|
| -- |
-- |
-
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| -- |
Percentage
of children under age 18 covered by Medicaid |
1999
|
13.2%
|
30.8%
|
20.0%
|
Notes:
1. $17,028 for a family of four
2. $8,515 for family of four
3. $25,543 for a family of four
4. Families with incomes below the poverty threshold
5. One or two times the poverty threshold
Source:
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. America's Children:
Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 1997.
MacKay AP, Fingerhut LA, Duran CR. Adolescent
Health Chartbook. Health United States, 2000. Hyattsvill, MD: National
Center
for Health and Statistics, 2000.
Household food security
in the United States, 2000. Economic Research Service, US Department of
Agriculture.
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All Casey Indicators (excel spreadsheet)
