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United States Census Bureau | An official website of the United States Government Poverty in the United States: 2023 September 10, 2024 Written by: EMILY A. SHRIDER Report Number: P60-283 Introduction 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.  Poverty in the United States: 2023 [< 1.0 MB][//www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-283.pdf] Highlights 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).  Tables Official Poverty Measure Poverty Thresholds: 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/time-series/historical-poverty- thresholds/thresh23.xlsx] Table A-1. People in Poverty by Selected Characteristics: 2022 and 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableA1_pov_characteristics.xlsx] Table A-2. Families and People in Poverty by Type of Family: 2022 and 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableA2_pov_by_family_type.xlsx] Table A-3. Poverty Status of People by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableA3_hist_pov_by_all_and_age.xlsx] HSTPOV2. Poverty Status of People by Family Relationship, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/time- series/historical-poverty-people/hstpov2.xlsx] HSTPOV4. Poverty Status of Families by Type of Family, Presence of Related Children, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/time- series/historical-poverty-people/hstpov4.xlsx] People With Income Below Specified Ratios of Their Poverty Thresholds by Selected Characteristics: 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/Income-to-Poverty-Ratios.xlsx] Impact on Poverty of Alternative Resource Measures by Age: 1981 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/Impact- on-Poverty.xlsx] Interrelationships of Three-Year Average State Poverty Rates: 2020 – 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/poverty_state_grid_table.xlsx] Supplemental Poverty Measure Table B-1. Two-Adult, Two-Child Poverty Thresholds: 2022 and 2023 [<1.0MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableB- 1_SPMthresh.xlsx] Table B-2. Number and Percentage of People in Poverty Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2009 to 2023 [< 1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableB-2.xlsx] Table B-3. Number and Percentage of People in Poverty Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2022 and 2023 [< 1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableB-3.xlsx] Table B-4. Number and Percentage of People in Poverty by Different Poverty Measures: 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableB-4.xlsx] Table B-5. Percentage of People by Ratio of Income/Resources to Poverty Threshold: 2022 and 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableB-5.xlsx] Table B-6. Effect of Individual Elements on Supplemental Poverty Measure Rates: 2022 and 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableB-6.xlsx] Table B-7. Effect of Individual Elements on the Number of Individuals in Poverty Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2022 and 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/tableB-7.xlsx] Number and Percentage of People in Poverty by State and Different Poverty Measures Using 3- Year Average: 2021, 2022, and 2023 [<1.0 MB] Number and Percentage of People in Poverty by Age, State, and Different Poverty Measures Using 3-Year Average: 2021, 2022, and 2023 [<1.0 MB] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/spm_opm_state.xlsx ] [//www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/spm_opm_state_by_a ge.xlsx] Official+ Poverty Rates by Age: 2009 to 2023 [<1.0 MB][//www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/hist_offplus.xlsx] SPM Thresholds by Metro Area: 2023 [<1.0 MB][//www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/p60/283/SPM-pov-threshold-2023.xlsx] Figures Official Poverty Measure: Figure 1. Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate Using the Official Poverty Measure: 1959 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/demo/p 60-283/figure1.pdf] Figure 2. People in Poverty Using the Official Poverty Measure: 2022 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/demo/p60- 283/figure2.pdf] Figure 3. Distribution of Total Population and Poverty by Race and Hispanic Origin Using the Official Poverty Measure: 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/ demo/p60-283/figure3.pdf] Supplemental Poverty Measure: Figure 4. Change in Percentage of People in Poverty Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2022 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/dem o/p60-283/figure4.pdf] Figure 5. Child Supplemental Poverty Rates by Race and Hispanic Origin: 2009 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/demo/p60- 283/figure5.pdf] Figure 6. Poverty Rates Using the Official+ and Supplemental Poverty Measures: 2009 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/demo/p6 0-283/figure6.pdf] Figure 7. Percentage of People in Poverty by Different Poverty Measures: 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/demo/p60- 283/figure7.pdf] Figure 8. Poverty Rates Using the Official+ and Supplemental Poverty Measures by Age Group: 2009 to 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/dem o/p60-283/figure8.pdf] Figure 9. Distribution of People by Income-to-Poverty Ratios and Age: 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/demo/p60- 283/figure9.pdf] Figure 10. Change in Number of People in Supplemental Poverty After Including Each Element: 2023 [<1.0 MB] [/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2024/demo/ p60-283/figure10.pdf] Source Information For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar24.pdf [https://www2.census.gov/programs- surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar24.pdf] . The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data used to produce this product. (Data Management System [DMS] number: P- 7534374, Disclosure Review Board [DRB] approval number: CBDRB-FY24-0435). Others in Series Publication Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2022 September 12, 2023 This report presents data on health insurance coverage in the United States in 2022 based on information collected in the 2023 CPS ASEC. [/library/publications/2023/demo/p60-281.html] Publication Income in the United States: 2023 September 10, 2024 This report presents data on income, earnings, & income inequality in the United States based on information collected in the 2024 and earlier CPS ASEC. [/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-282.html] Publication Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2023 September 10, 2024 This report presents data on health insurance coverage in the United States in 2023 based on information collected in the 2024 CPS ASEC. [/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-284.html] VIEW ALL [/LIBRARY/PUBLICATIONS/TIME-SERIES/P60.HTML] Related Information Supplemental Poverty Measure [/topics/income-poverty/supplemental-poverty-measure.html] Income & Poverty Publications [/topics/income-poverty/library/publications.html] Income & Poverty Data Tables [/topics/income-poverty/data/tables.html] You May Be Interested In America Counts Story America Counts Story America Counts: Stories New Census Tool About Income & Poverty Provides Child Poverty Rates in All School Districts National Poverty in America Awareness Month: Measuring Poverty Explore various America The 2019 SAIPE School The Census Bureau’s Counts stories on the topic of income and poverty. [/topics/income- poverty/stories.html] District Profiles data visualization provides demographic and 2020 Supplemental Poverty Measure rate was 2.3 percentage [/library/stories/2021/10/census- tool-provides-access-to-child- poverty-rates-every-united-states- school-district.html] [/library/stories/2022/01/nationa l-poverty-in-america-awareness- month-measuring-poverty.html] Page Last Revised - September 3, 2024