Michael D. King
Sociologist/Demographer
Welcome
I am a sociologist and demographer at the U.S. Census Bureau. My interests include social stratification, the social safety net, family demography, education, survey methodology, and data visualization. My research has examined how social mobility and educational attainment are related to marriage and assortative mating, student debt and its relationships with other household debt, and who participates in various social safety net programs.
- Social Stratification
- Family Demography
- Social Safety Net
- Survey Methodology
- Data Visualization
PhD in Sociology, 2020
University of Wisconsin-Madison
MA in Sociology, 2013
University of Montana
BA in Sociology, 2011
University of Montana
Research
College as a Great Equalizer? Marriage and Assortative Mating Among First- and Continuing-Generation College Students
Demography (2021) 58 (6): 2265–2289
How Do Policies and Expenses Affect Supplemental Poverty Rates?
New Interactive Data Tool Shows How Programs and Expenses Affect Poverty Measurement
How Education Impacted Income and Earnings From 2004 to 2024
Income Gap Between Householders With College Degrees and Those With High School Degrees but No College Widened Over Last Two Decades
How Marital Status and Children Affect Social Safety Net Participation
Updated Census Bureau Tool Provides More Details on Who Received Public Program Benefits in 2020
Impact of the End of Extra SNAP Benefits
Roughly 32 Million People Now Receiving Less Government Food Assistance
Income Sources of Older Households: 2017
This report examines older households’ sources of income, the amounts of this income, and how much each source of income contributes to total income.
Is There a Safety Net for Surveys?
How the Census Bureau attempted to address the underreporting of SNAP and UI in the 2021 SIPP
More Than One in Seven Social Safety Net Recipients in 2017 Were College Graduates
Those With a High School Diploma or Less Make Up Majority of Government Assistance Recipients
Most Children Receiving SNAP Get at Least One Other Social Safety Net Benefit
Nearly a Third of Children Who Receive SNAP Participate in Two or More Additional Programs
No Significant Change in Estimated U.S. Median Household Income
Median Income of Asian and Hispanic Households Rose From 2023 to 2024
Singles’ Safety Net in the United States
How does the American social safety net support single people? We pay particular attention to labor force participation, gender, age, race-ethnicity, and education as the primary socioeconomic and demographic stratifying mechanisms of program participation.
SNAP Receipt in SIPP: Using Administrative Records to Evaluate Data Quality
We link administrative records from select states to the 2013-2019 SIPP surveys to evaluate annual and monthly SNAP receipt measurement by comparing administrative records to survey reports.
Student Debt and Its Co-Occurrence with Other Types of Debt
Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, we present a descriptive accounting of student loans and their connection to other types of debt.
Student Debt Weighed Heavily on Millions Even Before Pandemic
COVID-19 Adds to Economic Hardship of Those Most Likely to Have Student Loans
What Happens When Older Adults Struggle to Make Ends Meet?
One in Six Older Americans Received Needs-Based Assistance Even Before Pandemic
What Sources of Income Do People Rely On?
New Interactive Data Tool Shows Sources of Personal Income for Hundreds of Economic and Demographic Combinations
Who Is Impacted by Student Loan Forgiveness and How?
Proposed Debt Forgiveness Would Make Large Dent in Student Loan and Total Unsecured Debts
Who Is Receiving Social Safety Net Benefits?
New Interactive Data Tool Shows Characteristics of Those Who Receive Assistance From Government Programs