During the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a monthly poverty measure to track the impact of fast-moving economic and policy changes. Our monthly version of the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) looks at family income and resources available during a given month, providing close to real-time estimates of the economic well-being of U.S. households. It also offers a look at the volatility of poverty throughout the year and the role of government transfers in reducing economic insecurity. Our monthly poverty data is available from January 2020 to the present for national poverty rates for the total U.S. population, as well as by age and race and ethnicity, and is available for download on our monthly data page.
Research
2022
- Comparing the performance of monthly poverty measures, working paper—Aug 2022
- Estimating monthly poverty rates in the United States, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management—June 2022
2025
- The impact of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) on monthly poverty rates— Nov 2025
2023
- The case for a federal birth grant: A plan to reduce poverty for newborns and their families—Feb 2023
2022
- Monthly poverty increased in June 2022 & remained elevated in July 2022—Aug 2022
- Monthly poverty rose in April and May 2022 after temporary tax time dip—June 2022
- Monthly cash payments reduce spells of poverty across the year—May 2022
- The EITC and CTC give temporary income boost to low-income families—May 2022
- Monthly poverty remains elevated in February—Mar 2022
- Absence of monthly child tax credit leads to 3.7 million more children in poverty in January 2022—Feb 2022
- Sixth Child Tax Credit payment kept 3.7 million children out of poverty in December—Jan 2022
2021
- November Child Tax Credit payment kept 3.8 million children from poverty—Dec 2021
- October Child Tax Credit payment kept 3.6 million children from poverty—Nov 2021
- Expanded Child Tax Credit continues to keep millions of children from poverty in September—Oct 2021
- Expanded Child Tax Credit leads to further decline in child poverty rates in August 2021—Sep 2021
- Monthly poverty rates among children after expansion of the Child Tax Credit—Aug 2021
- U.S. monthly poverty rate declines to 13.2% in January 2021—Mar 2021
2020
We are deeply grateful to the Gates Foundation for funding our monthly poverty data project through the end of 2025. With this phase of the project concluding, we are no longer publishing new monthly data. This tool was especially valuable during the pandemic, when timely, accessible data was critical for understanding rapidly changing conditions and informing public debate and policy decisions. We appreciate all engagement with the project and look forward to expanding this work with renewed interest in the future.
Noted April 30, 2026