The U.S. Young Child Poverty Rate (YCPR) is at least one-third higher and usually two to three times as high as the YCPR in any of 12 other Western industrialized nations. This report highlights key facts regarding the six million young children living in poverty in the United States and the millions more living in near poverty, and it provides new information on young children living in extreme poverty--in families with incomes less than half the federal poverty line. After an introduction on the detrimental effects of poverty on child development, the report presents a discussion and statistical data on five demographics of child poverty: geography, family structure, educational attainment of parents, employment status of parents, and racial and ethnic composition. The report concludes with a discussion of implications for action and policy-making. Appendices define poverty and its measurement, explain the interpretation of confidence intervals, and present 28 tables further detailing demographic findings. Contains 32 references. (EV)