27.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kirkwood, PA (84 out of 307 people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 12 - 14, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Kirkwood, PA is White, followed by Black and Native American.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.