The Census Bureau produces the Supplemental Poverty Measure annually. This measure of poverty incorporates money income and non-cash benefits, such as nutritional assistance programs, housing subsidies, tax credits, and stimulus payments, while subtracting out necessary expenses such as income and payroll taxes, work, and medical expenses. This paper examines the impact of the expanded Child Tax Credit on child poverty. We find that the Child Tax Credit lifted 2.9 million children out of poverty. Additionally, we find that the 2021 expansion of the Child Tax Credit accounted for 2.1 million of these 2.9 million children lifted above the poverty line.

Tables

Table 1. Number and Percentage of People Receiving Refundable Child Tax Credit: 2020 and 2021 [< 1.0 MB]

Table 2. Total Impact of the Child Tax Credit on Supplemental Poverty Status: 2021 [< 1.0 MB]

Table 3. Percentage of Children by Income-to-Poverty Ratio, Total Impact and Expansion Impact: 2021 [< 1.0 MB]

Table 4. Impact of the Expansion of Child Tax Credit on Supplemental Poverty Measure Status: 2021 [< 1.0 MB]

Table 5. Total Impact of the Child Tax Credit on Supplemental Poverty Status, Excluding Stimulus Payments: 2021 [< 1.0 MB]

Table 6. Impact of the Expansion of Child Tax Credit on Supplemental Poverty Measure Status, Excluding Stimulus Payments: 2021 [< 1.0 MB]

Table 7. Percentage of Children by Income-to-Poverty Ratio Excluding Stimulus Payments, Total Impact and Expansion Impact: 2021 [< 1.0 MB]

Data

To facilitate study of the 2021 Child Tax Credit, the Census Bureau has assembled this research file of alternative Child Tax Credit variables that can be merged with the 2022 CPS ASEC public-use file.

Child Tax Credit Research File Extract for 2022 CPS ASEC

Related Information

WORKING PAPER

Supplemental Poverty Measure Working Papers

Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division Working Papers

Page Last Revised - May 2, 2023

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