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Nearly 20 percent of America’s children–and 13 percent of all Americans–live in poverty. Although the nation has made some progress against poverty, particularly among the elderly and female-headed families, a great deal remains to be done to move people out of poverty and up the ladder towards the middle class.
A couple walks past tents on downtown Los Angeles' Skid Row (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson).
Past Event
Poverty and Income in 2012: A Look at the New Census Data and What the Numbers Mean
September 17, 2013
On September 17, the day the Census poverty report is released, the Center on Children and Families at Brookings will hold its eleventh annual briefing to discuss the new figures on poverty and income and their implications for families and policymakers. A panel of experts will offer their analyses of the Census report and their perspectives on the significance of the new data.
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In the News
When people think of poverty in America, they tend to think of inner city neighborhoods or isolated rural communities. But today, suburbs are home to the largest and fastest growing poor population in the country. May 20, 2013, Elizabeth Kneebone, CNNMoney.com
When people think of poverty in America, they tend to think of inner city neighborhoods or isolated rural communities. But today, suburbs are home to the largest and fastest growing poor population in the country.
Often low- and moderate-income families need a way to cash their check, they need a way to pay their bills, they need a way to save for the future, and they’ve cobbled together an interesting mix of bank and non-bank services to do that that are often more expensive and more costly than they need to be. February 18, 2013, Michael Barr, The Economist
Often low- and moderate-income families need a way to cash their check, they need a way to pay their bills, they need a way to save for the future, and they’ve cobbled together an interesting mix of bank and non-bank services to do that that are often more expensive and more costly than they need to be.
It’s the biggest expansion of Medicaid in a long time, and the biggest ever in terms of adults covered. Although the federal government is on the hook for most of the cost, Medicaid on the whole is one of the biggest items in state budgets and the fastest growing. So there are some understandable concerns about the financial implications and how implementation would work. January 28, 2013, Mark B. McClellan, The Associated Press
It’s the biggest expansion of Medicaid in a long time, and the biggest ever in terms of adults covered. Although the federal government is on the hook for most of the cost, Medicaid on the whole is one of the biggest items in state budgets and the fastest growing. So there are some understandable concerns about the financial implications and how implementation would work.
The number of people who are poor or near poor went from 81 million in 2000 to 107 million in 2010. This is like a quantum leap. It’s hard for me to understand why the nation’s decision makers don’t get up every day and recite that number every day when they’re looking in the mirror. We now have a third of our people who are poor or near poor. January 23, 2013, Bruce Katz, msnbc.com
The number of people who are poor or near poor went from 81 million in 2000 to 107 million in 2010. This is like a quantum leap. It’s hard for me to understand why the nation’s decision makers don’t get up every day and recite that number every day when they’re looking in the mirror. We now have a third of our people who are poor or near poor.
We're now having that frank public conversation about what do we want from government and how much do we want to pay for it. October 28, 2012, Tracy Gordon, CNN
We're now having that frank public conversation about what do we want from government and how much do we want to pay for it.
I think there is at least a hint that we have hit bottom in this post-recession malaise in the United States. And by that I mean we've not turned up, but we're going down at a slower pace, and we might see a little bit of the glimmer of the light at the end of the tunnel. September 20, 2012, William H. Frey, National Public Radio
I think there is at least a hint that we have hit bottom in this post-recession malaise in the United States. And by that I mean we've not turned up, but we're going down at a slower pace, and we might see a little bit of the glimmer of the light at the end of the tunnel.
Earnings for middle and lower-wage workers have fallen or stagnated over time. So you can have a situation where jobs are being created ... but the types of jobs matter. If those are jobs that pay low wages, even if you're working full-time, that might not be enough to lift you above the poverty line. September 20, 2012, Elizabeth Kneebone, 24/7 Wall St
Earnings for middle and lower-wage workers have fallen or stagnated over time. So you can have a situation where jobs are being created ... but the types of jobs matter. If those are jobs that pay low wages, even if you're working full-time, that might not be enough to lift you above the poverty line.
We don't see very important neighborhood effects on those two outcomes that people have focused on. But the things that people had been focused on and worried about with neighborhoods aren't the full story. Helping poor families is about a lot more than just increasing their income. September 20, 2012, Jens Ludwig, Wall Street Journal
We don't see very important neighborhood effects on those two outcomes that people have focused on. But the things that people had been focused on and worried about with neighborhoods aren't the full story. Helping poor families is about a lot more than just increasing their income.
We don’t have the welfare programs that we have had in the past. The need for individual giving is greater than it has been in modern memory. August 19, 2012, Bruce Katz, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
We don’t have the welfare programs that we have had in the past. The need for individual giving is greater than it has been in modern memory.
The Great Recession raised poverty rates and reduced household incomes in the vast majority of metro areas. The deep downturn left relatively few places untouched. July 27, 2012, Alan Berube and Elizabeth Kneebone, Economy in Crisis
The Great Recession raised poverty rates and reduced household incomes in the vast majority of metro areas. The deep downturn left relatively few places untouched.
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Sep 17
Pew Charitable Trusts
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Suburbia is home to the largest and fastest growing poor population in the country and more than half of the metropolitan poor.
In their new book, Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube offer anti-poverty strategies that work region-wide.
Visit the book's site for action tools and more information »
Ron Haskins
Co-Director, Center on Children and Families, Budgeting for National Priorities
Senior Fellow, Economic Studies
Isabel V. Sawhill
@isawhill
Gary Burtless
The John C. and Nancy D. Whitehead Chair
@gburtless
View All Experts on U.S. Poverty »