Since 2009, the US Census Bureau has released the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) alongside the official poverty measure to better capture the impact of taxes and transfers and social policy changes. With funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and The JPB Foundation, we created a unique historical data set that extends the SPM back to 1967, the year in which the official poverty measure began. Our historical SPM data analysis reveals how public programs have reduced the poverty rate over time and the increasing importance of anti-poverty policy in recent years. Our research tracks long-term trends in deep poverty; urban versus rural poverty; the differential impacts of poverty and policy across age groups as well as by race and ethnicity; how policy decisions have protected households during economic downturns; and more.
Our historical Supplemental Poverty Measure data is available for public use. The data set extends back to 1967, like the official poverty measure, to provide a consistent measure to assess the impacts of anti-poverty policies over time.
RESEARCH
2023
- Inequality below the poverty line since 1967: The role of the U.S. welfare state, American Sociological Review—Sept 2023
2021
- The evolution and impact of federal antipoverty programs for children, Academic Pediatrics—Nov 2021
- Trends in the economic wellbeing of unmarried-parent families with children: New estimates, Population Research and Policy Review—Sept 2021
2020
- The direct effect of taxes and transfers on changes in the U.S. income distribution,1967–2015, Demography—Aug 2020
- Young adult poverty in historical perspective: The role of policy supports and early labor market experiences, Social Science Research—Feb 2020
2017
- Long-term trends in rural and urban poverty: New insights using a historical Supplemental Poverty Measure, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences—June 2017
- Young child poverty in the United States: Analyzing trends in poverty and the role of anti-poverty programs, Children and Youth Services Review—Mar 2017
- Poverty among foster children: Estimates using the Supplemental Poverty Measure, Social Service Review—Mar 2017
2016
- Trends in child poverty by race and ethnicity: New evidence using a historical Supplemental Poverty Measure, Journal of Applied Research on Children—Dec 2016
- Incorporating geographical differences in the cost of living using the Supplemental Poverty Measure, Journal of Economic and Social Measurement—Nov 2016
- Progress on poverty? New estimates of historical trends using an anchored Supplemental Poverty Measure, Demography—June 2016
- Trends in child poverty using an improved measure of poverty, Academic Pediatrics—Apr 2016
2015
- Trends in deep poverty: The influence of family structure, employment patterns, and the safety net, The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences—Nov 2015
- Waging war on poverty: Historical trends in poverty using the Supplemental Poverty Measure, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management—Feb 2015
DATA
For a quick look, our historical SPM data table features SPM poverty rates from 1967 to 2023, plus SPM poverty rates anchored to the 2012 SPM poverty thresholds. Results are calculated at the population level, as well as for children, working-age adults, and the elderly, and with and without taxes and transfers. This data table allows researchers to determine poverty rates in a given year without needing to download the historical SPM public-use data files.