America Counts: Stories about Income & Poverty

America Counts Story

U.S. Poverty Rate Varies by Age Groups

The poverty rate for the nation’s oldest populations was lower than for the youngest but increased in 2022 while child poverty decreased.

America Counts Story

Most Parents Don’t Have Any Formal Child Care Arrangements

The Household Pulse Survey shows that 1 in 5 parents relied on a relative for child care.

America Counts Story

2022 Income Inequality Decreased for First Time Since 2007

U.S. Census Bureau income data released today show declines in real income at the middle and top of the income distribution from 2021 to 2022.

America Counts Story

Black Individuals Had Record Low Official Poverty Rate in 2022

New U.S. Census Bureau data show the official poverty rate for Black individuals and Black children hit record lows in 2022.

America Counts Story

Median Household Income After Taxes Fell 8.8% in 2022

The expiration of expansions to federal programs during COVID-19 resulted in lower post-tax household income and higher poverty rates.

America Counts Story

Supplemental Poverty Measure in 2022 Higher Than Pre-Pandemic Level

The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) that accounts for government assistance increased from 7.8% in 2021 to 12.4% in 2022.

America Counts Story

Same-Sex Married Couples Less Likely to Be Same Age, Race, Ethnicity

Survey data reveal patterns of social and economic similarity between same- and opposite-sex spouses.

America Counts Story

Almost a Quarter of U.S. Population Vulnerable to Rising Heat

Climate-focused data product finds that social factors contribute to low resilience to extreme heat exposure for almost 1 in 4 individuals in the United States.

America Counts Story

Owning or Renting the American Dream

In recognition of American Housing Month and National Homeownership Month, we explore housing data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

America Counts Story

U.S. Adults Provided $17.5 Billion in Support to Parents in 2020

Almost as many U.S. adults voluntarily provided financial support to parents as those who paid mandatory child support.

America Counts Story

How Socially Vulnerable Is Puerto Rico to Disasters?

All municipios and 87% of census tracts in Puerto Rico showed higher social vulnerability than the United States.

America Counts Story

¿Cuánta vulnerabilidad social ante desastres tiene Puerto Rico?

Todos los municipios y el 87 % de los sectores censales en Puerto Rico muestran una mayor vulnerabilidad social que los Estados Unidos.

America Counts Story

Persistent Poverty: Identifying Areas With Long-Term High Poverty

U.S. Census Bureau research introduces a proposed expanded definition of persistent poverty at subcounty levels.

America Counts Story

How Long Does It Take Renters to Find a Place?

The 2021 American Housing Survey shows that 58.5% of renters who moved between 2019 and 2021 found a new place to live in less than a month.

America Counts Story

Examining Equity in COVID-19 Stimulus Payments

New research by the Census Bureau, Treasury, and IRS examines variation in receipt of payments across race and ethnic groups.

America Counts Story

Opportunities for Marriage, Partnership Shape Women’s Family Incomes

White women were more likely than Black women of the same economic background to have access to more income from spouses and partners.

America Counts Story

Impact of the End of Extra SNAP Benefits

About 1 in 4 households in states that gave SNAP emergency benefits during the pandemic report not having enough to eat now that extra funding has ended.

America Counts Story

More People in All Race/Ethnic Groups Worked From Home 2019-2021

The number of White, Black, Asian and Hispanic home-based workers more than doubled.

America Counts Story

Coastal and Large Counties More Distressed Than Other U.S. Areas

Two government measures of communities’ distress, based on different social and economic factors, show which counties are most vulnerable when disasters hit.

America Counts Story

Low-Income Renters Spent Larger Share of Income on Rent in 2021

The percentage of household income spent on rent plus utilities increased from 2019 to 2021 and renters with the lowest annual income saw the largest spikes.

America Counts Story

How Have State Official Poverty Rates Changed Over 10 Years?

A new Census Bureau historical table shows that 40 states and the District of Columbia had lower official poverty rates in 2019-2021 than in 2009-2011.

America Counts Story

Volunteering in America: New U.S. Census Bureau, AmeriCorps Research

A Census Bureau and AmeriCorps survey provides the most comprehensive data on volunteering and civic engagement by state and within the largest 12 metro areas.

America Counts Story

Nearly One in Three Mississippians Eligible for Food Assistance

An updated visualization shows characteristics of those who receive or are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in counties in several states.

America Counts Story

The Stories U.S. Census Bureau Data Told in 2022

A look at some of the America Counts stories that revealed shifts in our population, from growing diversity and declining poverty to where and how we live.

America Counts Story

U.S. Poverty Rates Differ by Age and County

The South had the highest share of counties with child poverty rates of 40% or more, according to the 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

America Counts Story

Homeownership by Young Households Below Pre-Great Recession Levels

Homeownership among households headed by adults ages 25-34 was highest at the start of the Great Recession and had not returned to those high levels in 2019.

America Counts Story

How Resilient Are Communities Along the U.S.-Mexico Border?

The Community Resilience Estimates show that more people living in the 44 counties along the U.S.-Mexico border are less resilient than the nation as a whole.

America Counts Story

U.S. Poverty Rate Is 12.8% but Varies Significantly by Age Groups

The poverty rate for the nation’s oldest and youngest populations was significantly different than the national rate.

America Counts Story

How Marital Status and Children Affect Social Safety Net Participation

An updated interactive data tool allows users to explore household composition and expanded age categories of those who received government benefits in 2020.

America Counts Story

Dificultades materiales y desigualdades de riqueza entre grupos hispanos

En el Mes de la Herencia Hispana, nuevos datos de la Oficina del Censo destacan las diferencias en el bienestar de los grupos de origen hispano.

America Counts Story

Hardships and Wealth Disparities Across Hispanic Groups

During National Hispanic Heritage Month, we analyze new U.S. Census Bureau data that looks at differences in well-being across detailed Hispanic origin groups.

America Counts Story

Who Is Impacted by Student Loan Forgiveness and How?

New Survey of Income and Program Participation data show who has student loan debt and how much they had after the COVID-19 pause in payments.

America Counts Story

Uninsured Rate Declined in 28 States 2019-2021

Today’s release of the 2021 American Community Survey 1-year estimates shows increase in public health coverage in 36 states.

America Counts Story

2021 Income Inequality Increased for First Time Since 2011

U.S. Census Bureau’s income data released today show widening income inequality from 2020 to 2021.

America Counts Story

Child Poverty Fell to Record Low 5.2% in 2021

In 2021, child poverty rates measured by Supplemental Poverty Measure were the lowest since 2009 for all race and Hispanic origin categories examined.

America Counts Story

Full-Time, Year-Round Workers More Likely to be Uninsured in 2021

The uninsured rate of those who worked less than full time, year-round dropped 1.2 percentage points from 2020 to 2021 as public coverage increased.