Poverty in the 50 States

Long-Term Trends in Poverty and the Role of Social Policies

This chartbook presents the first estimates of state-level trends in poverty using a historical version of the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). The SPM provides a more accurate measure of poverty than the Official Poverty Measure (OPM), which has been in use since the 1960s. 

The chartbook includes a two-page fact sheet for each state that documents historical trends in poverty overall, as well as for children, working-aged adults, and the elderly. Each fact sheet also displays the effect of taxes and transfers on the poverty rate for these groups.

Access Historical Supplemental Poverty Measurement Data

The state-level poverty estimates were calculated using the CPSP's historical SPM data set. This data set is publicly available.