Household Income for the Previous Month (5.8.2)
Clients were asked to report their total household income for the previous month or to choose from a set of predefined income brackets. The results are in Table 5.8.2.1.
Table 5.8.2.1
HOUSEHOLD INCOME FOR THE PREVIOUS MONTH
Income for the Previous Month |
Pantry Client Households |
Kitchen Client Households |
Shelter Client Households |
All Client Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total monthly income |
|
|
|
|
No income |
6.7% |
15.9% |
32.6% |
10.0% |
$1-$499 |
13.3% |
16.6% |
20.4% |
14.3% |
$500-$999 |
38.6% |
31.4% |
22.2% |
36.3% |
$1,000-$1,499 |
17.6% |
11.7% |
6.2% |
15.8% |
$1,500-$1,999 |
6.7% |
5.2% |
4.2% |
6.2% |
$2,000-$2,499 |
3.1% |
4.6% |
1.8% |
3.3% |
$2,500-$2,999 |
1.0% |
1.1% |
0.2% |
1.0% |
$3,000 or more |
1.6% |
3.0% |
2.4% |
1.9% |
Unknown |
11.4% |
10.7% |
9.8% |
11.2% |
TOTAL |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
Average monthly income among valid responses (in dollars)a |
890 |
820 |
550 |
860 |
Median monthly income among valid responses (in dollars) |
750 |
640 |
250 |
750 |
|
|
|
|
|
Income as a percentage of the federal poverty level b |
|
|
|
|
0% (no income) |
6.7% |
15.9% |
32.6% |
10.0% |
1%-50% |
23.3% |
19.7% |
21.7% |
22.6% |
51%-75% |
23.2% |
17.5% |
10.0% |
21.4% |
76%-100% |
15.1% |
13.7% |
9.6% |
14.5% |
101%-130% |
10.5% |
7.8% |
5.3% |
9.6% |
131%-150% |
4.1% |
4.2% |
2.1% |
4.0% |
151%-185% |
2.6% |
1.8% |
1.8% |
2.4% |
186% or higher |
3.0% |
8.8% |
7.1% |
4.2% |
Unknown |
11.5% |
10.7% |
9.8% |
11.2% |
TOTAL |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
Average monthly income as percentage of the poverty level among valid responses |
74.8% |
81.2% |
61.8% |
75.0% |
Median monthly income as percentage of the poverty level among valid responses |
70.1% |
69.0% |
31.3% |
68.2% |
SAMPLE SIZE (N) |
37,986 |
10,667 |
4,225 |
52,878 |
Source:
This table was constructed based on all responses to questions 29 and 29a of the client survey.
Notes:
The percentages presented in this table, unlike those in
most other tables, were calculated without leaving out item nonresponses
(labeled “unknown”). To ensure that key percentages, such as that for no
income, appear consistent within this table and across related tables, a
constant denominator, which includes item nonresponses, was used. All
responses were weighted as described in Chapter 3 and in the Technical Appendix volume to represent all emergency food
clients or households of the A2H National Network.
For total monthly income, missing, don’t know, and refusal responses combined are 11.4% for pantry clients, 10.7% for kitchen clients, 9.8% for shelter clients, and 11.2% for all clients. The missing rates we report here were obtained after we cross-imputed missing responses for monthly and yearly income variables.
For income as percentage of federal poverty level, missing, don’t know, and
refusal responses combined are 11.5% for pantry clients, 10.7% for kitchen
clients, 9.8% for shelter clients, and 11.2% for all clients.
a For the calculation of the average and the median, responses given as a range were recoded to be the midpoint of the range.
b The percentages in this panel may not be equal to those in the corresponding row of the upper panel of this table because the two panels of data may have different item nonresponse rates. The calculation in the lower panel required information about household size as well as household income.
Table 5.8.2.1 shows that 10.0% of all client households had no income at all for the month prior to the interview. More details on income follow:
- 6.7% of the pantry client households had no monthly income.
- 15.9% of the kitchen client households had no monthly income.
- 32.6% of the shelter client households had no monthly income.
- 60.6% of all client households had monthly household income less than $1,000.
- Average household income among all clients during the previous month was $860 (median: $750). By contrast, the mean for the U.S. population as a whole in 2004 was $5,006 (median: $3,724). 1
- Average monthly household income among the pantry clients was $890 (median: $750).
- Average monthly household income among the kitchen clients was $820 (median: $640).
- Average monthly household income among the shelter clients was $550 (median: $250).
- 78.1% of client households had an income of 130% or below the federal poverty level during the previous month.
- Average monthly household income among all client households as a percentage of the federal poverty level was 75.0% (median: 68.2%).
- Average monthly household income among pantry client households was 74.8% (median: 70.1%) of the federal poverty level.
- Average monthly household income among kitchen client households was 81.2% (median: 69.0%) of the federal poverty level.
1 U.S. Census Bureau. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004. August 2005, pp. 60-229.
