Factors responsible for poor household socio-economic status (hSES) vary in differentsocial groups. Little information exists to explain how demographic and householdcharacteristics are related to hSES in rural societies of Tanzania. This cross-sectional studyassessed associations between selected women’s demographic characteristics, householdstructure and hSES in a rural area in Morogoro District, Tanzania. The study involved542 women aged 15 to 49 years. Data were collected by face to face interviews using astructured questionnaire and Focus Group Discussions. Principal Component Analysis wasused to construct hSES index. Women older than 35 years had higher likelihood of beingin the higher SES category compared to their younger counterparts [OR1.26 (95%CI:1.82-2.94), p<0.05]. Living in road accessible ward was associated with being in the medium tohigh hSES [OR4.08 (95%CI: 2.40-6.94), p<0.01]. Households with at least one child agedless than 5 years were more likely to be in the low hSES [OR 0.34 (95%C: 1.033-2.502),p< 0.05]. While road accessibility and age determined a better hSES, most factors werenot related to hSES. Our findings underscore the urgency for transportation infrastructuralimprovement as a reliable means for improvement of rural hSES.Key words: Demographic characteristics, household, poverty, socio-economic status,Tanzania, women