Editing Working poor (section)

==Risk factors==
===Race===
Minorities in the US are [[racial inequality in the United States|disproportionately affected by poverty]]. Blacks and Hispanics are twice as likely to be part of the working poor than Whites. In 2017, the rate for Blacks and Hispanics was 7.9%, and 3.9% for Whites, 2.9% for Asians.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/working-poor/2016/home.htm#chart2|title=A profile of the working poor, 2016 : BLS Reports: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|website=www.bls.gov|language=en-us|access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref>

===Education===
Higher levels of education generally leads to lower levels of poverty. However, higher education is not a guarantee of escaping poverty. 5.0% of the working poor have some college experience, 3.2% have an associate degree, and 1.5% have a bachelor's degree or higher.<ref name=":02" /> Using the Supplemental Poverty Report and looking at everyone in poverty, not just those working, these percentages actually rise to 14.9% with a high school diploma, 9.7% with some college, and 6.2% with a bachelor's degree of higher.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-268.html|title=The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2018|website=The United States Census Bureau|language=EN-US|access-date=2 December 2019}}</ref> Blacks and Hispanics have higher rates of poverty than Whites and Asians at every education level. Student loan debt in the US can also contribute to poverty due to capitalized interest if the borrower does not earn enough wages keep up with the loan payments.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

===Families===
Married and cohabiting partners are less likely to experience poverty than individuals and single parents. The percentage of married and cohabiting partners living in poverty in 2018 was 7.7% and 13.9% respectively versus 21.9% for individuals. Single mothers are more likely than single fathers to experience poverty, 25% and 15.1% respectively.<ref name=":1" />

===Age===
Older workers are less likely to be working and poor than their younger counterparts. The age group with the highest rate of poverty at 8.5% is 20 to 24 year olds, and 16 to 19 year olds at 8.4%. As workers age, the rate of poverty decreases to 5.7% for 25 to 34 year olds and 5% for 35 to 44 year olds. Workers ages 45 to 50, 55 to 64 and 65+ had much lower working poor rates, 3.1%, 2.6% and 1.5%, respectively.<ref name=":02" />

===Gender===
Women of all races are more likely than men to be classified as working poor, especially if they are single mothers. The overall rate for women in 2017 was 5.3%, compared to 3.8% for men. The rate for Black women and Hispanic women was significantly higher than their male counterparts, at 10% and 9.1%, compared to Black men at 5.6% and Hispanic men at 7.0%. The rate for White women was closer to White males, at 4.5% and 3.5%, respectively. Only Asian women had a lower rate of working poverty than Asian males, at 2.5% and 3.2%, respectively.

[[Transgender]] persons are more likely than [[cisgender]] men or women to be classified as working poor. In the United States, transgender people are three times more likely than the average population have a household income between $1 and $9,999, and nearly twice as likely to have a household income between $10,000 and $24,999.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Full-Report-Dec17.pdf |title=USTS-Full-Report-Dec17.pdf |publisher=National Center for Transgender Equality |access-date=23 May 2022}}</ref>

===Disability===
Workers with disabilities significantly earn less than their non-disabled counterparts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2017-08-11 |title=Low income among persons with a disability in Canada |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2017001/article/54854-eng.htm |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=www150.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>