The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its annual report on poverty in the United States. The data shows that in 2025, 11.1 percent of all women and girls in the United States lived in poverty, down from 11.7 percent in 2024. For all males, the poverty rate in 2025 was 9.2 percent, down from 9.6 percent in 2024.
In 2025, only 4.1 percent of married-couple families lived in poverty. For families headed by a single man, 11.0 percent of all families were poor. But for families headed by a single woman, 20.0 percent of all families were poor. There were more than 10.5 million people living below the poverty line in families headed by a single woman, including more than 5.7 million children.
Some 21.1 percent of adult women who lived alone were poor in 2025. For adult men living alone, 16.8 percent were poor.
Overall, there were nearly 20 million American women and girls who were living below the poverty level in 2025. Obviously, these women living in poverty have major disadvantages in accessing higher education, a path that might provide them a way out of poverty.