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National Poverty in America Awareness Month: January 2024
National Poverty in America Awareness Month: January 2024
Press Release Number: CB24-SFS.003
From the U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC):
Highlights
Official Poverty Measure
- The official poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5 percent, with 37.9 million people in poverty. Neither the rate nor the number in poverty was significantly different from 2021 (Figure 1 and Table A-1).
- The official poverty rate for Black individuals decreased between 2021 and 2022. The 2022 rate was the lowest on record (Table A-3).
Supplemental Poverty Measure
- The SPM rate in 2022 was 12.4 percent, an increase of 4.6 percentage points from 2021. This is the first increase in the overall SPM poverty rate since 2010 (Figure 6 and Table B-2).
- The SPM child poverty rate more than doubled, from 5.2 percent in 2021 to 12.4 percent in 2022 (Figure 4 and Table B-3).
- Social Security continued to be the most important antipoverty program in 2022, moving 28.9 million people out of SPM poverty. Meanwhile, refundable tax credits moved 6.4 million people out of SPM poverty, down from 9.6 million people in 2021 (Figure 11 and Table B-8).
Key Stats
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement
Figures, Official Poverty Measure:
Note: Figure 1 shown above is cropped. Click on the image for the full figure, including notes and source.
More Stats
From Census.gov / Topics / Income and Poverty:
Source: 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates
From the Library / America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers:
From the Newsroom:
Outside Links
Page Last Revised - January 4, 2024
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