Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Paid Family and Medical Leave Access and Use
We examine the disparities in paid-leave access and use by race and ethnicity using data from four nationally representative surveys, consistently finding that Hispanic workers have lower rates of paid-leave access and use than their White non-Hispanic counterparts.
Effectiveness of Antipoverty Policies and State Differences in Cost of Living
In our latest brief, we find that the main reason antipoverty programs seem to make less of a difference in high-cost areas is simply that the costs in those areas are greater. Our analyses show that costs of living are critical to the accurate assessment of state-level poverty rates and the true impact of antipoverty programs.
Recent Trends in Food Stamp Usage and Implications for Increased Work Requirements
Proponents of the efforts to expand SNAP work requirements argue that “work-capable” adults are increasingly taking up SNAP benefits while working less. We find that “work-capable” adults do not represent a growing segment of the SNAP caseload and a majority of “work-capable” adults who receive SNAP are working during the year that they receive benefits.
A Child Tax Credit in California: Correcting Inequities Created by the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act Would Cut Deep Child Poverty by Nearly One-Third
Correcting inequalities in the Child Tax Credit created by the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act would cut deep poverty among children in California by nearly a third
Raising Rents for HUD Housing Program Recipients Would Throw Over Half a Million Americans into Poverty
The Making Affordable Housing Work Act of 2018, a recent proposal issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), outlines a plan to raise rental payments for almost all households that participate in HUD’s housing programs. Our analysis finds that this proposal would deplete the cash resources of participant households by over $750 per year, on average, and move over half a million people into poverty.
Forgoing Food Assistance out of Fear: Changes to “Public Charge” Rule May Put 500,000 More U.S. Citizen Children at Risk of Moving into Poverty
Immigrant parents, many of whom have citizen children who are entitled to SNAP benefits, are increasingly fearful that any interaction with the government will lead to arrest and deportation. We present estimates of the potential impact of this proposal on child poverty.
A Renter’s Tax Credit to Curtail the Affordable Housing Crisis
To address the housing affordability crisis for low-income Americans, we argue for a refundable renter’s tax credit that could reduce the poverty rate by 12.4 percentage points and the deep poverty rate by 8.8 percentage points.
Taking Food off the Table: Understanding who would be affected by potential SNAP cuts and how
We estimated the potential impacts of the House budget proposal to cut SNAP by 40% and found that such a cut would impact 24 million people and cause the poverty rate among SNAP recipients to increase by up to 10.9%.
Expanding the Child Tax Credit would Cut Child Poverty Nearly in Half
We find that in a simulation of the Bennet-Brown proposal to expand access to the Child Tax Credit to those at the bottom of the income distribution and boost the value of the credit for all eligible families would cut child poverty nearly in half.
Using the EITC and CTC to Smooth Income Instability: Potential Effects of a “Lookback” on Poverty
We examine the potential effects of a “lookback” provision on poverty which would allow EITC and CTC claimants to look back one year when filing taxes to maximize their credit and smooth earnings instability.
Long-term Trends in Rural and Urban Poverty: New Insights Using a Historical Supplemental Poverty Measure
U.S. poverty has a strong relationship to geography. Analyzing poverty from 1967 to 2014, we find a dramatic decline in rural poverty over time. SPM adjustments in the poverty threshold for regional cost of living (lowering poverty thresholds in less expensive areas and raising them in more expensive areas) is an important factor.
Children of Austerity: Impact of the Great Recession on Child Poverty in Rich Countries
This book examines the impact of the financial crisis on households with children and the impact of government austerity policies on living standards with case studies of Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Dimming the Lights: Eliminating Energy Assistance Would Move 200,000 People into Poverty, Hurting the Rural Poor the Most
Estimating the poverty effects of President Trump’s March 2017 proposal to eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, we find that it would move more than 200,000 people into poverty, hurting the rural poor the most.
Poverty in the 50 States: Long Term Trends in Poverty and the Role of Social Policies
This chartbook provides state-level trends in historical SPM poverty (from the 1960s/1970s to the present) and the impact of taxes and transfers on poverty rates for the US population, children, working-age adults, and the elderly.
Young Child Poverty in the United States: Analyzing Trends in Poverty and the Role of Anti-poverty Programs
Poverty among young children (0-5 years) has fallen since 1968 due to the safety net. Without these programs, it would be the same rate today—or higher—than in 1968. We detail changes in the US safety net over time, from almost all cash transfers to its current mix of cash, tax credit, and in-kind transfers.
Poverty among Foster Children: Estimates Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure
Official poverty statistics do not include foster children. We provide the first large-scale, national estimates for poverty among foster children from 1992 to 2013, finding that foster children have a lower risk of poverty than other children, likely due to income supports such as foster care payments.
Trends in Child Poverty by Race/Ethnicity: New Evidence Using a Historical Supplemental Poverty Measure
Our improved historical version of the Supplemental Poverty Measure provides the first estimates of racial and ethnic differences in child poverty from 1970 to the present.
Incorporating Geographical Differences in the Cost of Living Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure
We built the first historical SPM time series from 1967-2014 that adjusts poverty thresholds for cost of living. Geographic adjustments increase poverty rates in metro areas, the Western states, and among Latinos and decrease poverty rates in non-metro areas and the South.
Progress on Poverty? New Estimates of Historical Trends Using an Anchored SPM
We explore historical trends in poverty using an absolute, or anchored, SPM threshold—setting the poverty threshold at the 2012 SPM level. While official statistics show poverty rates to be fairly flat over time, our historical analysis reveals poverty rates have dropped 40% since the 1960s due to government policies.
Trends in Child Poverty Using an Improved Measure of Poverty
Our re-examination of child poverty rates from 1967 and 2012 using our historical SPM reveals young children have the highest rates of poverty both historically and today. However, long-term poverty trends are more favorable than official statistics would suggest when government policies and programs are more fully accounted for.