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Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21

What does this measure?

The number of children under 18 living below the federally defined poverty line, expressed as a percentage of all children under 18 and reported by various racial and ethnic groups. Poverty thresholds vary by family composition and year. In 2021, the threshold for a four-person family with two children was $27,479.

Why is this important?

Children raised in impoverished environments are at higher risk for a wide variety of health and social problems, including poor performance in school. The challenges they face in childhood can diminish their chances for successful adult lives, Studies have found that the stress of living in poverty can cause biological changes in children that can lead to long-term health problems. Throughout the nation, racial disparities across many indicators of well-being (including poverty rates) are persistent, troubling and in need of attention.

How does our county compare?

Lancaster County's child poverty rate for Hispanic children was 6 percentage points lower than Pennsylvania and 2 percentage points higher than the nation. For African American children, the county's poverty rate was lower than the state (34%) and the nation (31%). While all neighboring counties had racial and ethnic disparities in 2017-21, Chester County had some of the lowest rates of poverty in the region.

Why do these disparities exist?

Large and persistent disparities in poverty rates are the result of historic and current policies and practices that disadvantaged people of color. Research has connected slavery and the inability of black Americans even after emancipation to fully participate in economic life to the wealth and income gaps still present today. Poverty crosses generations, resulting in high rates of child poverty rates. Factors include: living in a single-parent household, especially if the single parent is female; having parent(s) who are unemployed, employed and/or underemployed in low-wage jobs or incarcerated; and living in communities that have experienced disinvestment and have ineffective and/or under-resourced schools.

Notes about the data

Child populations for most local areas, when broken down by race and ethnicity, were too small to yield reliable survey results. Poverty status is not reported for people in institutions, including college dormitories and military barracks, and people in living situations without conventional housing. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people may show up in both a racial and ethnic group.

Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
Pennsylvania13%34%32%11%
Lancaster County12%**23%*26%9%
Lancaster City40%***24%**30%12%*
Lancaster County Boroughs
Adamstown borough0%***0%***50%***15%***
Akron borough0%***0%***19%***8%***
Christiana boroughN/A***0%***N/A***13%***
Columbia boroughN/A***35%***52%**11%***
Denver township0%***N/A***31%***15%***
East Petersburg boroughN/A***0%***0%***8%***
Elizabethtown boroughN/A***100%***48%***12%***
Ephrata boroughN/A***22%***8%***7%***
Lititz borough0%***N/A***0%***1%***
Manheim boroughN/A***N/A***0%***25%**
Marietta boroughN/A***N/A***77%***20%***
Millersville borough0%***N/A***20%***16%***
Mount Joy boroughN/A***0%***60%***6%***
Mountville boroughN/A***0%***0%***0%***
New Holland boroughN/A***0%***0%***0%***
Quarryville borough0%***62%***55%***14%***
Strasburg boroughN/A***N/A***76%***31%***
Terre Hill boroughN/A***N/A***0%***8%***
Lancaster County Townships
Bart township0%***0%***0%***2%***
Brecknock townshipN/A***0%***0%***1%***
Caernarvon township0%***N/A***0%***12%***
Clay townshipN/A***N/A***0%***1%***
Colerain townshipN/A***0%***N/A***25%*
Conestoga township52%***N/A***0%***0%***
Conoy townshipN/A***0%***54%***4%***
Drumore townshipN/A***N/A***N/A***7%***
Earl townshipN/A***0%***0%***21%**
East Cocalico township0%***100%***4%***2%***
East Donegal township0%***N/A***0%***3%***
East Drumore township0%***N/A***0%***7%***
East Earl township0%***N/A***0%***10%***
East Hempfield township0%***0%***0%***2%***
East Lampeter township14%***51%***2%***2%***
Eden township0%***N/A***N/A***11%***
Elizabeth townshipN/A***N/A***N/A***0%***
Ephrata townshipN/A***N/A***0%***19%**
Fulton townshipN/A***0%***0%***17%**
Lancaster township53%***31%***29%**22%***
Leacock townshipN/A***0%***0%***13%***
Little Britain townshipN/A***N/A***N/A***5%***
Manheim township0%***0%***21%***5%***
Manor township0%***0%***17%***15%***
Martic townshipN/A***N/A***N/A***5%***
Mount Joy township100%***N/A***0%***4%***
Paradise townshipN/A***N/A***14%***17%**
Penn township0%***N/A***0%***1%***
Pequea township100%***N/A***78%***29%***
Providence townshipN/A***N/A***0%***11%***
Rapho township0%***0%***0%***3%***
Sadsbury townshipN/A***N/A***0%***16%*
Salisbury townshipN/A***0%***0%***4%***
Strasburg townshipN/A***N/A***N/A***4%***
Upper Leacock township0%***43%***42%***14%**
Warwick township0%***0%***59%***10%***
West Cocalico townshipN/A***N/A***0%***14%***
West Donegal townshipN/A***0%***0%***5%***
West Earl township0%***N/A***0%***3%***
West Hempfield townshipN/A***0%***39%***6%***
West Lampeter township0%***0%***0%***3%***
Berks County23%***26%*33%14%
Chester County2%***29%*21%6%
Cumberland County6%***37%*36%*7%
Dauphin County10%**35%28%11%
Lebanon County19%***12%***38%10%
York County9%***25%31%9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.




Number of Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
Pennsylvania13,169118,888110,013214,850
Lancaster County387**1,378*5,3479,136
Lancaster City171***642**2,173617*
Lancaster County Boroughs
Adamstown borough0***0***44***101***
Akron borough0***0***23***69***
Christiana borough0***0***0***23***
Columbia borough0***86***335**141***
Denver township0***0***32***118***
East Petersburg borough0***0***0***49***
Elizabethtown borough0***22***47***228***
Ephrata borough0***22***35***210***
Lititz borough0***0***0***24***
Manheim borough0***0***0***302**
Marietta borough0***0***62***86***
Millersville borough0***0***31***88***
Mount Joy borough0***0***290***87***
Mountville borough0***0***0***0***
New Holland borough0***0***0***0***
Quarryville borough0***24***108***80***
Strasburg borough0***0***213***225***
Terre Hill borough0***0***0***25***
Lancaster County Townships
Bart township0***0***0***24***
Brecknock township0***0***0***13***
Caernarvon township0***0***0***150***
Clay township0***0***0***22***
Colerain township0***0***0***332*
Conestoga township14***0***0***0***
Conoy township0***0***68***23***
Drumore township0***0***0***55***
Earl township0***0***0***408**
East Cocalico township0***58***6***55***
East Donegal township0***0***0***38***
East Drumore township0***0***0***60***
East Earl township0***0***0***140***
East Hempfield township0***0***0***96***
East Lampeter township20***360***20***80***
Eden township0***0***0***88***
Elizabeth township0***0***0***0***
Ephrata township0***0***0***416**
Fulton township0***0***0***146**
Lancaster township124***116***593**506***
Leacock township0***0***0***232***
Little Britain township0***0***0***56***
Manheim township0***0***314***360***
Manor township0***0***119***557***
Martic township0***0***0***77***
Mount Joy township45***0***0***79***
Paradise township0***0***18***278**
Penn township0***0***0***23***
Pequea township13***0***324***340***
Providence township0***0***0***159***
Rapho township0***0***0***57***
Sadsbury township0***0***0***183*
Salisbury township0***0***0***143***
Strasburg township0***0***0***59***
Upper Leacock township0***48***163***297**
Warwick township0***0***199***381***
West Cocalico township0***0***0***300***
West Donegal township0***0***0***60***
West Earl township0***0***0***54***
West Hempfield township0***0***130***212***
West Lampeter township0***0***0***104***
Berks County301***1,586*11,1438,680
Chester County192***1,948*2,9865,027
Cumberland County183***1,113*1,339*2,716
Dauphin County350**5,8273,0353,707
Lebanon County90***89***2,7432,527
York County140***1,9134,2227,159

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.




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