Among all children under 18 years in the United States, 38 percent live in low-income families and 17 percent--approximately one in five--are poor. This means that children are overrepresented among the nation's poor; they represent 23 percent of the population but comprise 32 percent of all people in poverty. Many more children live in families with incomes just above the poverty threshold. Being a child in a low-income or poor family does not happen by chance. Parental education and employment, race/ethnicity, and other factors are associated with children's experiences of economic insecurity. This fact sheet highlights disparities in children's experiences of economic insecurity by race, geography, and other factors.