NATION’S POVERTY RATE DECLINES WHEN PUBLIC AID INCLUDED

The nation’s poverty rate was 15.5% in 2013, down from 16% Percent in 2012, according to the supplemental poverty measure released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Still, 48.7 million Americans lived below the poverty line in 2013, not statistically different from the number in 2012. The supplemental poverty measure takes into account the impact of different benefits and expenses on the resources available to families, as well as geographic differences in housing costs. For example, the measure adds SNAP benefits and refundable tax credits to cash income and deducts various expenses from income, including income and payroll taxes and child care, work-related, and medical out-of-pocket expenses. The supplemental rates were higher in Connecticut and other high-cost states like California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.

Source: US Census Bureau, 10/16/14, Poverty Rate