This report provides estimates of two measures of poverty: the official poverty measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). The official poverty measure, produced since the 1960s, defines poverty by comparing pretax money income to a national poverty threshold adjusted by family composition. The SPM, first released in 2011 and produced in collaboration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), extends the official poverty measure by accounting for several government programs that are designed to assist low-income families but are not included in official poverty measure calculations. The SPM also accounts for geographic variation in housing expenses when calculating poverty thresholds and includes federal and state taxes, work expenses, and medical expenses.

This report presents estimates using the official poverty measure and the SPM for calendar year 2023. The estimates contained in the report are based on information collected in the 2024 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements (CPS ASEC) conducted by the Census Bureau. 

Official Poverty Measure:

• In 2023, the official poverty rate fell 0.4 percentage points to 11.1 percent. There were 36.8 million people in poverty in 2023, not statistically different from 2022 (Figure 1 and Table A-1).
• Between 2022 and 2023, the official poverty rate decreased for White and non-Hispanic White individuals; women; 18- to 64-year-olds; unrelated individuals; all workers; less than full-time, year-round workers; and those with some college. The only group to experience a statistically significant increase in their official poverty rate was the Two or More Races population (Figure 2 and Tables A-1 and A-2).

Supplemental Poverty Measure

• The SPM rate in 2023 was 12.9 percent, an increase of 0.5 percentage points from 2022 (Figure 6 and Table B-3).
• The SPM child poverty rate increased 1.3 percentage points to 13.7 percent in 2023 (Figure 4 and Table B-3).
• Social Security continues to be the largest anti-poverty program, moving 27.6 million individuals out of SPM poverty in 2023 (Figure 10 and Table B-7).

Differences in Poverty Measures

• The share of the population with resources below 50 percent of their poverty threshold was higher using the official poverty measure with a consistent universe (5.2 percent) than when using the SPM (4.4 percent) (Figure 9 and Table B-5).
• In 2023, most of the groups discussed in this report had higher SPM rates than official poverty rates with a consistent universe (Figure 7 and Table B-4).