“Income levels and poverty rates were not statistically different for most states and metro areas from 2011 to 2012, according to statistics released today from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Incomes remained lower and poverty rates were higher in 2012 than in 2007, the year before the recession. The percentage of people without health insurance fell in most states in 2012 from 2010 levels, after rising between 2008 to 2010. The survey began asking about health insurance in 2008. ..The 2012 American Community Survey provides a multitude of statistics that measure the social, economic and housing conditions of U.S. communities. More than 40 topics are available with today’s release, such as educational attainment, housing, employment, commuting, language spoken at home, nativity, ancestry and selected monthly homeowner costs. Today’s local-level income, poverty and health insurance results from the American Community Survey follow Tuesday’s release of the national measures for each, drawn from the Current Population Survey. The statistics released today are available in detailed tables for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district, every metropolitan area, and all counties and places with populations of 65,000 or more. Also released today are three reports providing analysis on income, poverty and health insurance for states and metropolitan areas:
- Household Income: 2012, which compares American Community Survey statistics from 2000 to 2012 and from 2011 to 2012
- Poverty: 2000 to 2012, which compares poverty rates from 2000 to 2012 and from 2011 to 2012
- Mitigating the Loss of Private Insurance with Public Coverage for the Under-65 Population: 2008 to 2012“
