50 Years of Poverty

While government programs have kept millions of people, especially the elderly, from falling into poverty, rates remain high for many groups of Americans, including children, blacks and Hispanics. JAN. 4, 2014 RELATED ARTICLE

–0.1

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (Liheap)

–0.1

Food aid for mothers and children under 5 (WIC)

–0.2

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (T.A.N.F.)

–0.8

Unemployment insurance

–0.9

Housing subsidies

–1.1

Supplemental Security Income (S.S.I.)

–1.6

Food stamps (SNAP)

–3.0

Refundable tax credits

Effect of government programs on poverty

Official rate

Alternative rate*

Predicted rate without government programs

’64

’74

’84

’94

’04

’12

30%

25

20

15

10

5

0

Impact of each program on the rate

Pov

–0.1

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (Liheap)

–0.1

Food aid for mothers and children under 5 (WIC)

–0.2

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (T.A.N.F.)

–0.8

Unemployment insurance

–0.9

Housing subsidies

–1.1

Supplemental Security Income (S.S.I.)

–1.6

Food stamps (SNAP)

–3.0

Refundable tax credits

Effect of government programs on poverty

Official rate

Alternative rate*

Predicted rate without government programs

’64

’74

’84

’94

’04

’12

30%

25

20

15

10

5

0

Impact of each program on the rate

Poverty rate

Social Security

–8.5% pts.

14.5

0-4 years old

11.7%

1.9

Asian

40-44

85+

176.2

9.7%

18.9

White

39.5

25.6%

13.6

Hispanic

29.2

27.2%

10.9

Black

Poverty rate

Poverty status in 2012, by age and race

Millions not in poverty

Millions in poverty

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

2 million

0

By ALICIA PARLAPIANO

Sources: Christopher Wimer, Liana Fox, Irwin Garfinkel, Neeraj Kaushal, and Jane Waldfogel, “Trends in Poverty with an Anchored Supplemental Poverty Measure,” Columbia Population Research Center (poverty rates); U.S. Census Bureau (government programs and poverty status)

*Based on the Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure (which includes the effects of government transfers and taxes), using a threshold anchored to 2012 and adjusted for inflation.
Note: Race categories are described by the U.S. Census Bureau as Asian alone, black alone, Hispanic of any race and white alone. Not all Americans are shown.