Poverty and Income

Census Data Show Poverty and Inequality Remained High in 2012 and Median Income Was Stagnant, But Fewer Americans Were Uninsured

The economic recovery has yet to produce significant gains for Americans in the bottom and middle of the economic scale, Census Bureau data released this week show. The poverty rate remained unchanged at a high 15.0 percent in 2012 and median household income remained unchanged at $51,017, some $4,600 below its 2007 level. Income inequality remained at record high levels by a number of measures. Read more

Related:

• Share of Americans Without Health Coverage Edged Down Again in 2012
• Statement of Robert Greenstein on the Census Bureau's 2012 Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance Data

Official Poverty Measure Masks Gains Made Over Last 50 Years

With the Census Bureau due to release updated figures about poverty in America on September 17, some policymakers and commentators surely will compare today’s poverty rate to those of 1960s and conclude that the last half-century of federal efforts to alleviate poverty have largely failed — that, as some critics put it glibly, “the government declared war on poverty, and poverty won.” But that’s simply not valid or accurate. Comparing today’s official poverty rate with those of the 1960s yields highly distorted results because the official poverty measure captures so little of the poverty relief that today’s safety net now provides. Read more

Related:

• Various Supports for Low-Income Families Reduce Poverty and Have Long-Term Positive Effects On Families and Children
• Deficit Reduction Should Not Increase Poverty and Hardship
• Earned Income Tax Credit Promotes Work, Encourages Children’s Success at School, Research Finds
   

Chairman Ryan Gets 66 Percent of His Budget Cuts from Programs for People With Low or Moderate Incomes

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s new budget plan would get at least 66 percent of its $5 trillion in non-defense budget cuts over ten years (relative to a continuation of current policies) from programs that serve people of limited means, standing a core principle of the Simpson-Bowles fiscal commission on its head.

Related:

• Ryan Budget Would Undermine Safety Net’s Work Supports
• Ryan Roundup: Everything You Need to Know About Chairman Ryan's Budget