More Indianapolis residents living below poverty line
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Despite our wages being up, so is the share of Indianapolis residents living below the poverty line.
Why it matters: Data shows that women, our youngest residents and our oldest residents are struggling the most.
By the numbers: The percentage of Indy residents living below the poverty level rose to 10.9% last year, up slightly from 10.5% in 2019.
- The federal poverty threshold is an annual income of $32,130 for a family of four.
Zoom in: Poverty increased the most significantly among Indianapolis residents under 18 years old, the data reveals.
- The childhood poverty rate climbed from 13.3% to 15.2% between 2019 and 2024.
- For residents 65 and older, the rate went from 8.1% to 9.6%.
The other side: There was some progress in the poverty rate among residents 18 to 64, falling from 10% to 9.5%.
Between the lines: As evidenced by our gender pay gap, women are made to make ends meet with less.
- The poverty rate among Indiana women rose from 11.3% to 12.4% while the rate among men dropped to 9.3% from 9.7%.
State of play: The median pay for women who worked in Indiana in 2023 was $35,800 — about $14,500 less than men, according to data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
- That's the 15th-largest dollar gap in the U.S.
The intrigue: While those with less than a high school diploma make up the largest share of Indy's impoverished at 23.2%, it is the only educational demographic with a better poverty rate than five years ago.
- The rate is up 1.2% for those with high school degrees, 0.8% for those with some college experience, and 0.5% for those with college degrees.