Key Takeaways
- Official poverty rate declined from 15.1% in 2010 to 11.5% in 2022.
- Child poverty rate historical low official 12.4% in 2022 after 16.9% in 2020.
- SPM poverty trended down from 16.0% in 2010 to 7.8% in 2021.
- In 2022, the official poverty rate for the United States was 11.5 percent, with 37.9 million people living in poverty.
- The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate for 2022 was 12.4 percent, affecting 40.8 million people.
- From 2021 to 2022, the official poverty rate increased by 1.0 percentage point from 11.5 percent.
- In 2022, child poverty rate for all children was 12.4 percent official measure.
- Elderly (65+) poverty rate in 2022 was 10.2 percent.
- Children under 18 had 12.4% poverty rate in 2022, up from 5.2% SPM in 2021.
- In 2022, the Black poverty rate was 17.1 percent.
- Hispanic poverty rate in 2022 was 16.9 percent, down from 17.1% in 2021.
- Non-Hispanic White poverty rate in 2022 was 8.6 percent.
- In Mississippi, the 2022 poverty rate was 19.1 percent.
- New Hampshire had the lowest state poverty rate at 6.9 percent in 2022.
- Louisiana poverty rate 18.6 percent in 2022.
U.S. poverty fell to 11.5% by 2022, but projections warn it could rise again without action.
Related reading
Historical Trends and Projections
Historical Trends and Projections Interpretation
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Overall Poverty Rates
Overall Poverty Rates Interpretation
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Poverty by Age and Family Type
Poverty by Age and Family Type Interpretation
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Poverty by Race/Ethnicity
Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Interpretation
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Regional and State Poverty
Regional and State Poverty Interpretation
How We Rate Confidence
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). United States Poverty Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/united-states-poverty-statistics
Aisha Okonkwo. "United States Poverty Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/united-states-poverty-statistics.
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "United States Poverty Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/united-states-poverty-statistics.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CENSUScensus.gov
census.gov
- Reference 2ASPEaspe.hhs.gov
aspe.hhs.gov
- Reference 3CBPPcbpp.org
cbpp.org
- Reference 4PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.org
pewresearch.org
- Reference 5BROOKINGSbrookings.edu
brookings.edu
- Reference 6KIDSAKkidsak.org
kidsak.org
- Reference 7DATACENTERdatacenter.aecf.org
datacenter.aecf.org
- Reference 8WORLDPOPULATIONREVIEWworldpopulationreview.com
worldpopulationreview.com
- Reference 9PPICppic.org
ppic.org
- Reference 10ERSers.usda.gov
ers.usda.gov
- Reference 11MACROTRENDSmacrotrends.net
macrotrends.net
- Reference 12URBANurban.org
urban.org
- Reference 13COLUMBIASIPACENTERcolumbiasipacenter.org
columbiasipacenter.org
- Reference 14EPIepi.org
epi.org
- Reference 15JECjec.senate.gov
jec.senate.gov
- Reference 16MULTPLmultpl.com
multpl.com
- Reference 17ENDHOMELESSNESSendhomelessness.org
endhomelessness.org







