The Social and Economic Status of the Black Population in the United States, 1971. Current Population Reports, Series P-23, Number 42.

This is the fifth in a series of statistical reports about the social and economic conditions of the black population in the United States. Included here are the most current data available on selected areas of major interest. The majority of the statistics in this report are from the Bureau of the Census, but some are from other government and private agencies. The 1970 data from the Census Bureau are from the 1970 Census of Population and Housing and Current Population Surveys. Families and unrelated individuals are classified as being above or below the low-income level, using the poverty index adopted by a Federal Interagency Committee in 1969. This index centers around the Department of Agriculture's Economy Food Plan and reflects the differing consumption requirements of families based on their size and composition, sex and age of the family head, and farm-nonfarm residence. The low-income cutoffs for farm families have been set at 85 percent of the nonfarm levels. These cutoffs are updated every year to reflect the changes in the Consumer Price Index. Data for standard metropolitan statistical areas, except where noted, are defined as of 1960. The standard Census definition is used for the four regions within the country. (Author/JM)