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U.S. poverty hit a record low before the pandemic recession

Jeff Lello stands in front of the van in which he lives, in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant, since being laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. Lello is one of an estimated 20 million Americans living paycheck to paycheck, spending more than 30% of their income on rent, who are likely to experience homelessness at some point, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Jeff Lello stands in front of the van in which he lives, in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant, since being laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. Lello is one of an estimated 20 million Americans living paycheck to paycheck, spending more than 30% of their income on rent, who are likely to experience homelessness at some point, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) Jeff Lello stands in front of the van in which he lives, in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant, since being laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. Lello is one of an estimated 20 million Americans living paycheck to paycheck, spending more than 30% of their income on rent, who are likely to experience homelessness at some point, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

By Jeanna Smialek and Sarah Kliff and Alan Rappeport / The New York Times 4 min read

A record-low share of Americans were living in poverty, incomes were climbing, and health insurance coverage was little changed in 2019, a government report released Tuesday showed – although the circumstances of many have deteriorated as pandemic lockdowns and industry disruptions have thrown millions out of work.

The share of Americans living in poverty fell to 10.5% in 2019, the Census Bureau reported, down 1.3 percentage points from 2018. That rate is the lowest since estimates were first published in 1959.

Household incomes increased to their highest level on record dating to 1967, at $68,700 in inflation-adjusted terms. That change came as individual workers saw their earnings climb and as the total number of people working increased.

Methodology changes made after 2013 also make comparing data across time tricky. But even adjusting for those differences, the 2019 income figures appeared to be the highest on record, based on census estimates.

Interviews for this year’s income and poverty report were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, a census official said. Some economists warned that the disruptions could have made the data look too rosy.