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Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage ... - Census Bureau

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<strong>Income</strong> Inequality index is up 3.1 percent. (Table A-2 2. As family size increases, expenses<br />

The <strong>Census</strong> <strong>Bureau</strong> has traditionally<br />

lists historical money income inequality<br />

measures.)<br />

do not increase at the same rate.<br />

20<br />

used two methods to measure income 3. The increase in expenses is larger<br />

inequality: (1) the shares of aggregate Between 2008 <strong>and</strong> 2009, the changes for a first child of a single-parent<br />

household income received by quin- in the real household income at the family than the first child of a twotiles<br />

<strong>and</strong> (2) the Gini index. In addi- 50th (median), 10th, <strong>and</strong> 90th percen- adult family. 21<br />

tion to these measures, the <strong>Census</strong><br />

<strong>Bureau</strong> also produces estimates of the<br />

ratio of income percentiles, the Theil<br />

index, the mean logarithmic deviation<br />

of income (MLD), <strong>and</strong> the Atkinson<br />

18<br />

measures.<br />

The change in income inequality<br />

between 2008 <strong>and</strong> 2009 was not<br />

statistically significant as measured<br />

tiles were not statistically significant<br />

(Table A-2). However, comparing the<br />

change in household income between<br />

1999, the year that household income<br />

peaked before the 2001 recession,<br />

<strong>and</strong> 2009 suggests income inequality<br />

is increasing. <strong>Income</strong> at the 50th <strong>and</strong><br />

10th percentiles declined—5.0 percent<br />

<strong>and</strong> 9.0 percent, respectively—while<br />

Table 3 shows several income inequality<br />

measures, including aggregate<br />

income shares <strong>and</strong> the Gini index,<br />

using both money income <strong>and</strong><br />

equivalence-adjusted income for<br />

2008 <strong>and</strong> 2009. For both 2008 <strong>and</strong><br />

2009, the Gini index is lower based<br />

on the equivalence-adjusted income<br />

estimate than under the traditional<br />

by the shares of aggregate household the change in income at the 90th per- money-income estimate, suggesting<br />

income by quintiles, the Gini index, centile was not statistically significant. a more equal income distribution.<br />

the MLD, or Atkinson measures. The Between 1999 <strong>and</strong> 2009, the 90th- Comparing the shares of aggregate<br />

Theil index was the only inequality to-the-10th-percentile income ratio household income received by quinmeasure<br />

to show a statistically signifi- increased from 10.42 to 11.36. tile historically shows higher shares<br />

cant change—a 1.3 percent increase<br />

(Tables 3 <strong>and</strong> A-2). In 2009, the share<br />

of aggregate income received by the<br />

Equivalence-Adjusted <strong>Income</strong><br />

Inequality<br />

of income in the lower quintiles <strong>and</strong><br />

lower shares in the higher quintiles<br />

for equivalence-adjusted income than<br />

bottom quintile was 3.4 percent; Another way to measure income for money income. This redistributhe<br />

second quintile, 8.6 percent; the inequality is using an equivalence- tion would be expected because at<br />

third, 14.6 percent; the fourth, 23.2 adjusted income estimate, which the lower end of the income distribupercent;<br />

<strong>and</strong> the highest quintile, 50.3 takes into consideration the number tion there is a higher concentration of<br />

percent. Households in the lowest of people living in the household <strong>and</strong> single-person households <strong>and</strong> smaller<br />

quintile had incomes of $20,453 or how these people share resources <strong>and</strong> family sizes in relation to those at the<br />

less; those in the second quintile had take advantage of economies of scale. upper end of the distribution.<br />

incomes ranging from $20,454 to<br />

$38,550; those in the third quintile<br />

had incomes ranging from $38,551 to<br />

$61,801; those in the fourth quintile<br />

had incomes ranging from $61,802 to<br />

$100,000; <strong>and</strong> those in the highest quin-<br />

tile had incomes of $100,001 or more.<br />

For example, the money-incomebased<br />

distribution treats income of<br />

$30,000 for a single-person house-<br />

hold <strong>and</strong> a family household simi-<br />

larly, while the equivalence-adjusted<br />

income of $30,000 for a single-person<br />

household would be more than twice<br />

In 2009, the lowest quintile share of<br />

aggregate income for equivalenceadjusted<br />

income (3.4 percent) was<br />

not higher than the lowest quin-<br />

tile share of aggregate income for<br />

money income. This is the first time<br />

that shares of aggregate income in<br />

The Gini index was 0.468 in 2009. the equivalence-adjusted income of the lowest quintile for equivalence-<br />

Except for the 1.5 percent decline $30,000 for a family household with adjusted income <strong>and</strong> money income<br />

in the Gini index between 2006 <strong>and</strong> two adults <strong>and</strong> two children. The were not statistically different.<br />

2007, there were no other statisti- equivalence adjustment used here is<br />

cally significant annual changes since based on a three-parameter scale that<br />

1993, the earliest year available for reflects: 21 The three-parameter scale used here is the<br />

comparable measures of income<br />

19<br />

inequality. Since 1993, the Gini<br />

1. On average, children consume less<br />

than adults.<br />

same as the one used in the report The Effect<br />

of Taxes <strong>and</strong> Transfers on <strong>Income</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Poverty</strong><br />

in the United States: 2005, Current Population<br />

Reports, P60-232, U.S. <strong>Census</strong> <strong>Bureau</strong>, March<br />

2007, . The three-parameter scale was<br />

applied to the incomes of families <strong>and</strong> unrelated<br />

individuals <strong>and</strong> assigned to each family member<br />

or unrelated individual living within the house-<br />

hold. For details on the derivation of the threeparameter<br />

scale, see Short, Kathleen, Experimen-<br />

tal <strong>Poverty</strong> Measures: 1999, Current Population<br />

Reports, P60-216, U.S. <strong>Census</strong> <strong>Bureau</strong>, October<br />

2001, .<br />

U.S. <strong>Census</strong> <strong>Bureau</strong> <strong>Income</strong>, <strong>Poverty</strong>, <strong>and</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Insurance</strong> <strong>Coverage</strong> in the United States: 2009 9

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