A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals a sharp rise in child poverty in 2022.
Supplemental Poverty Measure Among Children Under 18 More Than Doubled, New Data Says| KBTX
The data shows that the supplemental poverty measure for children under 18 more than doubled from 5.2% in 2021 to 12.4% in 2022.
Among the general population, the supplemental poverty measure increased by 4.6 percentage points to 12.4% in 2022.
The supplemental poverty measure takes into account both cash and noncash benefits, as well as necessary expenses like taxes and medical costs, unlike the official poverty measure, which only considers cash resources.
One major factor contributing to the increase in supplemental poverty measure of child poverty was the expiration of the expanded child tax credit, which provided higher amounts per child in previous years.
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The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2021, the child tax credit helped keep 5.3 million people out of poverty.
However, with the credit returning to normal levels in 2022 it kept 2.4 million people out of poverty. The Census Bureau also highlighted that Social Security, SNAP benefits, and free school lunch programs played essential roles in reducing poverty levels.
President Joe Biden seized on this data showing that the supplemental poverty measure has doubled, to advocate for expanding the child tax credit further.
President Joe Biden criticized congressional Republicans for blocking efforts to extend the enhanced credit, while they prioritize corporate tax cuts.
