Pandemic stimulus payouts and child tax credits contribute.
New census data shows that child poverty in America has dropped by more than 80 percent since 1993 when it was 27.9 percent, achieving a record low of 5.2 percent in 2021. Every state has seen a decline, and it has fallen by about the same amount across all racial groups as well as for children in one- and two-parent households.
However, some expect the reduction to be short-lived because driving factors for the lower rate are no longer present. Expanded government benefits during the pandemic, from stimulus checks to increased child tax credits, were the major factors in reducing child poverty in 2020 and 2021.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Director Santos as he heads the Census Bureau.
- For wisdom for the president and his administration as they assess children in poverty.
- That governing officials would be discerning in the programs they support to reduce poverty.
Sources: NY Times, Axios
