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DELAWARE
Income & Poverty

Other facts sheets for Delaware:

The data below describe the state rankings and selected characteristics of the immigrant and native-born populations in Delaware in 2011.

Rankings
The following shows Delaware's rankings in several categories. All rankings include the 50 states and the District of Columbia and are ranked highest to lowest.
  Rankings
Number of the foreign-born population living in poverty, 2011: 43 out of 51
Share of the foreign-born population living in poverty, 2011: 47 out of 51
Numeric change in the foreign-born population in poverty, 2000 to 2011: 43 out of 51
Percent change in the foreign-born population in poverty, 2000 to 2011: 30 out of 51

Data Highlights
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Who are the foreign born?
The term foreign born refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the census who were not US citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent immigrants, refugees and asylees, legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization. By comparison, the term native refers to people residing in the United States who were US citizens in one of three categories: 1) people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; 2) people born in United States Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or 3) people who were born abroad to at least one US citizen parent.

We use the terms immigrants and foreign born interchangeably.

Earnings of Full-Time Workers
(This sheet describes earnings of civilian employed workers)

In Delaware in 2011, 27.8 percent of foreign-born workers earned less than $25,000 a year and 38.0 percent earned $50,000 or more.
In Delaware in 2011, 5.5 percent of full-time, year-round, immigrant workers (those working more than 50 weeks a year and more than 35 hours per week) earned less than $15,000 a year; 40.2 percent earned between $15,000 and $35,000; 16.3 percent earned between $35,000 and $50,000; and 38.0 percent earned $50,000 or more. In comparison, 4.2 percent of full-time, year-round, native-born workers earned less than $15,000 a year; 25.2 percent earned between $15,000 and $35,000; 25.8 percent earned between $35,000 and $50,000; and 44.8 percent earned $50,000 or more.

At the national level, 9.8 percent of full-time, year-round, foreign-born workers earned less than $15,000 a year; 40.9 percent earned between $15,000 and $35,000; 16.6 percent earned between $35,000 and $50,000; and 32.6 percent earned $50,000 or more.

Median Earnings by Nativity and Gender

Male immigrant workers had average annual earnings of $39,244 compared to $35,367 for female immigrant workers.
Among full-time, year-round, foreign-born workers in Delaware in 2011, median earnings over the previous 12 months were $35,367 for women and $39,244 for men. The median earnings of noncitizen women were $27,584 and those of noncitizen men were $33,930. In comparison, naturalized-citizen women had median earnings of $40,000 and naturalized-citizen men $56,508. Among full-time, year-round, native-born workers, median earnings during the comparable period were $40,948 for women and $50,978 for men.

At the national level, median earnings of full-time, year-round, foreign-born workers were $31,749 for women and $35,918 for men. The median earnings for noncitizen workers were $24,347 for women and $28,507 for men. Among naturalized-citizen workers, women had median earnings of $38,419 and men of $47,547. Among native-born workers, median earnings during the comparable period were $38,044 for women and $50,056 for men.

What Was the Poverty Threshold in 2011?
Whether any family is considered below the poverty threshold depends on the family's total income before taxes, not including any capital gains or noncash benefits, such as food stamps or housing subsidies.

The Census Bureau's poverty threshold varies depending on the number of adults and children in a family. The threshold is adjusted each month to account for inflation. Because respondents filled out the American Community Survey in different months, the poverty threshold that is applied to each family depends on the month in which the survey was taken.

To give a general idea of poverty levels, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, the average poverty threshold for a family of four in 2011 was $23,021; for a family of three, $17,916; for a family of two, $ 14,657; and for an unrelated individual, $11,484. All members of a family are assigned the same poverty status. Poverty thresholds are the same for the entire United States, despite differences in the cost of living across US communities.
Population in Poverty

The immigrant population in Delaware living below the federal poverty threshold changed by 61.0 percent between 2000 and 2011.
Between 2000 and 2011, the foreign-born population living in poverty went from 5,644 to 9,088, representing a change of 61.0 percent. In comparison, the foreign-born population living in poverty changed from 2,106 to 5,644 between 1990 and 2000, a difference of 168.0 percent.

At the national level, the immigrant population below the poverty threshold increased from 3,435,394 to 5,473,300 between 1990 and 2000, representing a change of 59.3 percent, and grew from 5,473,300 to 7,797,199 (42.5 percent) between 2000 and 2011.

In 2011, 12.0 percent of the foreign-born population lived below the poverty threshold.
In 2011, 12.0 percent of Delaware's immigrant population lived below the poverty threshold, compared with 12.6 percent in 2000 and 9.9 percent in 1990. Meanwhile, 11.9 percent of the native-born population in Delaware lived below the poverty threshold in 2011.

At the national level, 19.6 percent of the immigrants population lived below the poverty threshold in 2011, compared to 17.7 percent in 2000 and 17.9 percent in 1990. Nationally, 15.4 percent of the native-born population lived below the poverty threshold in 2011.

In Delaware, 17.9 percent of noncitizens lived in poverty in 2011, compared to 4.2 percent of naturalized citizens.

Of the foreign-born population in Delaware in 2011, 17.9 percent of noncitizens lived in poverty, compared to 4.2 percent of naturalized citizens.

Nationally, 26.3 percent of noncitizens lived in poverty in 2011, compared to 11.5 percent of naturalized citizens.

Families with Children in Poverty

In Delaware, 11.3 percent of all foreign-born families lived below the poverty threshold.
In 2011, 11.3 percent of all families headed by an immigrant had incomes below the poverty threshold. At the same time, 16.3 percent of foreign-born families with children under 18 lived below the poverty threshold. Foreign-born families consisting of a married couple and children under 18 were less likely to live below the poverty threshold than families consisting of a female and children under 18 with no husband present (7.4 versus 38.0 percent).

In comparison, 7.7 percent of all families headed by a native-born person had incomes below the poverty threshold, as did 12.8 percent of native families with children under 18. As with foreign-born families, native families consisting of a married couple with children under 18 were less likely to be living in poverty than families headed by a female and children under 18 with no husband present (3.5 versus 30.7 percent).

At the national level, 18.5 percent of families headed by a foreign-born person had incomes below the poverty threshold in 2011, while 24.6 percent of foreign-born families with children under 18 lived below the poverty threshold. Foreign-born families consisting of a married couple and children under 18 were less likely to live below the poverty threshold than foreign-born families consisting of a female and children under 18 (17.9 versus 45.2 percent).

Language Groupings

Indo-European languages include French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Yiddish, other West Germanic languages, Scandinavian languages, Greek, Russian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, other Slavic languages, Armenian, Persian, Gujarathi, Hindi, and Urdu.

Asian and Pacific Island languages include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mon-Khmer/Cambodian, Miao/Hmong, Thai, Laotian, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.

Other languages include Navajo, other Native North American languages, Hungarian, Arabic, Hebrew, and African languages.

Population in Poverty by Language Spoken at Home

In Delaware, 18.4 percent of persons who spoke Spanish at home lived in poverty, compared to 7.0 percent of persons who spoke Asian or Pacific Island languages, and 5.8 percent of persons who spoke other Indo-European languages.
Of both native and foreign-born persons in Delaware in 2011, 10.7 percent of those who spoke only English lived in poverty, compared to 18.4 percent of those who spoke Spanish at home, 5.8 percent who spoke other Indo-European languages, 7.0 percent who spoke Asian and Pacific Island languages, and 37.6 percent who spoke other languages.

Nationally, 13.6 percent of those who spoke only English lived in poverty, compared to 25.4 percent of those who spoke Spanish at home, 13.7 percent who spoke other Indo-European languages, 14.2 percent who spoke Asian and Pacific Island languages, and 26.7 percent who spoke other languages.




Table 1. Population by Poverty Status in Delaware, 1990 to 2011
 

1990

2000

2011

  Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Household Population of Delaware for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined 641,437 100.0 761,700 100.0 882,353 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 55,145 8.6 70,214 9.2 104,831 11.9
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 40,745 6.4 48,184 6.3 71,334 8.1
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 545,547 85.1 643,302 84.5 706,188 80.0
Native Born 620,150 100.0 716,835 100.0 806,809 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 53,039 8.6 64,570 9.0 95,743 11.9
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 39,906 6.4 43,943 6.1 63,125 7.8
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 527,205 85.0 608,322 84.9 647,941 80.3
Foreign Born 21,287 100.0 44,865 100.0 75,544 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 2,106 9.9 5,644 12.6 9,088 12.0
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 839 3.9 4,241 9.5 8,209 10.9
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 18,342 86.2 34,980 78.0 58,247 77.1
 

Change 1990 to 2000

Change 1990 to 2011

Change 2000 to 2011

  Numeric Percent Numeric Percent Numeric Percent
Household Population of Delaware for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined 120,263 18.7 240,916 37.6 120,653 15.8
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 15,069 27.3 49,686 90.1 34,617 49.3
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 7,439 18.3 30,589 75.1 23,150 48.0
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 97,755 17.9 160,641 29.4 62,886 9.8
Native Born 96,685 15.6 186,659 30.1 89,974 12.6
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 11,531 21.7 42,704 80.5 31,173 48.3
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 4,037 10.1 23,219 58.2 19,182 43.7
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 81,117 15.4 120,736 22.9 39,619 6.5
Foreign Born 23,578 110.8 54,257 254.9 30,679 68.4
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 3,538 168.0 6,982 331.5 3,444 61.0
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 3,402 405.5 7,370 878.4 3,968 93.6
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 16,638 90.7 39,905 217.6 23,267 66.5
Notes: Poverty status is not determined for unrelated individuals under age 15 (such as foster children) or for persons lacking conventional housing. 2. Data for Alaska, Maine, Montana, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the US Census Bureau's pooled 2009-2011 ACS and for North Dakota and Wyoming are from 2007-2011 ACS. Data for the United States and the rest of the states are from 2011 ACS.
Sources: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), various years (see Note 2 above); 2000 Decennial Census; Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Matthew B. Schroeder, and Matthew Sobek. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 5.0 [Machine-readable database]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2011.

For information about ACS methodology,sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here.

Table 2. Income and Poverty Characteristics of the Population in Delaware, 2011
POVERTY STATUS BY CITIZENSHIP
Household Population of Delaware for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined 882,353
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 11.9
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 17.2
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 70.9
Native Born 806,809
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 11.9
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 16.7
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 71.4
Foreign Born 75,544
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 12.0
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 22.6
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 65.3
Noncitizen 43,220
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 17.9
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 28.9
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 53.2
Naturalized Citizen 32,324
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 4.2
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 14.3
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 81.5
EARNINGS IN LAST 12 MONTHS OF FULL-TIME, YEAR-ROUND WORKERS
(IN 2011 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)
Full-Time, Year-Round Workers in Delaware Age 16 And Older with Earnings, 2011 298,536
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 1.7
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 2.6
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 11.3
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 15.6
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 24.7
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 24.1
Earned $75,000 or more 19.9
Native Born 264,007
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 1.8
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 2.4
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 9.9
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 15.3
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 25.8
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 25.1
Earned $75,000 or more 19.7
Foreign Born 34,529
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 0.8
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 4.7
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 22.3
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 17.9
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 16.3
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 16.4
Earned $75,000 or more 21.6
Noncitizen 19,224
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 1.3
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 5.1
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 27.1
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 20.1
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 18.2
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 15.1
Earned $75,000 or more 13
Naturalized Citizen 15,305
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 0.1
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 4.1
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 16.2
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 15.1
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 13.9
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 18.2
Earned $75,000 or more 32.4
MEDIAN EARNINGS IN LAST 12 MONTHS OF FULL-TIME, YEAR-ROUND WORKERS
(IN 2011 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)
Full-Time, Year-Round Workers in Delaware, 2011  
Male $50,411
Female $40,500
Native Born  
Male $50,978
Female $40,948
Foreign Born  
Male $39,244
Female $35,367
Noncitizen  
Male $33,930
Female $27,584
Naturalized Citizen  
Male $56,508
Female $40,000
SHARE OF FAMILIES IN POVERTY BY CITIZENSHIP AND FAMILY TYPE
All Families (Among Those for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined) 8.0
With related children under age 18 13.3
With related children under age 5 only 15.4
Married-couple families 2.8
With related children under age 18 4.1
With related children under age 5 only 5.3
Families with female householder, no husband present 23.9
With related children under age 18 31.4
With related children under age 5 only 32.5
Native-Born Families 7.7
With related children under age 18 12.8
With related children under age 5 only 14.1
Married-couple families 2.5
With related children under age 18 3.5
With related children under age 5 only 4.1
Families with female householder, no husband present 23.3
With related children under age 18 30.7
With related children under age 5 only 31.6
Foreign-Born Families 11.3
With related children under age 18 16.3
With related children under age 5 only 23.1
Married-couple families 5.1
With related children under age 18 7.4
With related children under age 5 only 11.7
Families with female householder, no husband present 30.4
With related children under age 18 38.0
With related children under age 5 only N
Noncitizen 16.0
With related children under age 18 22.1
With related children under age 5 only 21.0
Married-couple families 6.8
With related children under age 18 10.0
With related children under age 5 only 10.8
Families with female householder, no husband present 48.5
With related children under age 18 49.2
With related children under age 5 only N
Naturalized Citizen 5.4
With related children under age 18 7.8
With related children under age 5 only N
Married-couple families 3.1
With related children under age 18 N
With related children under age 5 only N
Families with female householder, no husband present N
With related children under age 18 N
With related children under 5 age only -
MEDIAN EARNINGS IN LAST 12 MONTHS BY PERIOD OF ENTRY
(IN 2011 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)
Full-Time, Year-Round, Foreign-Born Workers in Delaware, 2011  
Male $39,244
Female $35,367
Entered the United States in 2000 or Later  
Male $34,552
Female $25,332
Entered the United States between 1990 and 1999  
Male $41,847
Female $32,221
Entered the United States before 1990  
Male $50,881
Female $41,604
FOREIGN BORN IN POVERTY BY WORLD REGION OF BIRTH
Born in Africa N
Below 100 percent of the poverty level N
Born in Asia 22,975
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 7.9
Born in Europe 10,305
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 7.1
Born in Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean) 33,550
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 19.4
Born in Northern America (Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon) N
Below 100 percent of the poverty level N
Born in Oceania N
Below 100 percent of the poverty level N
Note: 1. Poverty status is not determined for unrelated individuals under age 15 (such as foster children) or for persons lacking conventional housing.

2. Data for Alaska, Maine, Montana, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the US Census Bureau's pooled 2009-2011 ACS and for North Dakota and Wyoming are from 2007-2011 ACS. Data for the United States and the rest of the states are from 2011 ACS.

The letter N indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), different years.

For information about ACS methodology,sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here.

Table 3. Poverty Status of Residents in Delaware by Language Spoken at Home, 2011
 
Number
Percent
Household Population of Delaware for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined, Age 5 and Older 827,974 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 93,559 11.3
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 734,415 88.7
Speaks Only English 714,695 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 76,722 10.7
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 637,973 89.3
Speaks Spanish 59,417 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 10,917 18.4
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 48,500 81.6
Speaks Other Indo-European Languages 30,148 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 1,747 5.8
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 28,401 94.2
Speaks Asian or Pacific Island Languages 15,489 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 1,082 7.0
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 14,407 93.0
Speaks Other Languages 8,225 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 3,091 37.6
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 5,134 62.4
Note: Poverty status is not determined for unrelated individuals under the age of 15 (such as foster children) or for persons lacking conventional housing.

The letter N indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Source: US Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey.
For information about ACS methodology,sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here.

For data on these topics, click on the link: