Poverty in the United States: 2025

Poverty in the United States: 2025

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Poverty in the United States: 2025

Introduction

This report provides estimates of two measures of poverty: the official poverty measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). The official poverty measure, produced since the 1960s, defines poverty by comparing pretax money income to a national poverty threshold adjusted by family composition. The SPM, first released in 2011 and produced in collaboration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), extends the official poverty measure by accounting for several government programs that are designed to assist low-income families but are not included in official poverty measure calculations. The SPM also accounts for geographic variation in housing expenses when calculating poverty thresholds and includes federal and state taxes, work expenses, and medical expenses.

This report presents estimates using the official poverty measure and the SPM for calendar year 2025. The estimates contained in the report are based on information collected in the 2026 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements (CPS ASEC) conducted by the Census Bureau.

• Poverty in the United States: 2025 [< 1.0 MB]

Highlights

Official Poverty Measure:

• In 2025, the official poverty rate fell 0.5 percentage points to 10.2 percent. There were 34.5 million people in poverty in 2025 (Figure 2 and Tables 1 and 2).
• The official poverty rate for chil­dren fell to a historic low of 13.4 percent in 2025 (Figure 2 and Tables 1 and 2).
• Between 2024 and 2025, the official poverty rate for Hispanic individuals decreased to a his­toric low of 13.9 percent (Figure 2 and Table 3).

Supplemental Poverty Measure

• The SPM rate in 2025 was 13.1 percent, not statistically differ­ent from 2024 (Figure 3 and Table 4).
• Between 2024 and 2025, SPM rates increased for those with­out a high school diploma but did not change significantly for the other groups discussed in this report (Figure 3 and Table 4).
• Social Security continues to be the largest antipoverty program, moving 28.8 million individu­als out of SPM poverty in 2025 (Figure 6 and Table 6).

Tables

• Table 1. Number and Percentage of People in Poverty Using the Official Poverty Measure: 2024 and 2025 [< 1.0MB]
• Table 2. Number and Percentage of Families and People in Poverty by Type of Family Using the Official Poverty Measure: 2024 and 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 3. Poverty Status of People by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin Using the Official Poverty Measure: 1959 to 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 4. Number and Percentage of People in Poverty Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2024 and 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 5. Effect of Individual Elements on Supplemental Poverty Measure Rates: 2024 and 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 6. Effect of Individual Elements on the Number of Individuals in Poverty Using the Supplemental Poverty Measures: 2024 and 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 7. Number and Percentage of People in Poverty by Different Poverty Measures: 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 8. Number and Percentage of People in Poverty Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2009 to 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 9. Official+ Poverty Rates by Age: 2009 to 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 10. Official Poverty Measure Thresholds: 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 11. Supplemental Poverty Measure Thresholds for Two-Adult, Two-Child Units: 2024 and 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 12. Poverty Status of People by Family Relationship, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 13. Poverty Status of Families by Type of Family, Presence of Related Children, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 14. People With Income Below Specified Ratios of Their Poverty Thresholds by Selected Characteristics: 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 15. Interrelationships of State Official Poverty Rates Using 3-Year Average: 2023, 2024, and 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 16. Percentage of People by Ratio of Income/Resources to Poverty Threshold: 2024 and 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 17. Number and Percentage of People in Poverty by State and Different Poverty Measures Using 3-Year Average: 2023, 2024, and 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 18. Number and Percentage of People in Poverty by Age, State, and Different Poverty Measures Using 3-Year Average: 2023, 2024, and 2025 [< 1.0 MB]
• Table 19. SPM Thresholds by Metro Area: 2025 [< 1.0 MB]

Figures

• Figure 1. Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate Using the Official Poverty Measure: 1959 to 2025 [<1.0 MB]
• Figure 2. People in Poverty Using the Official Poverty Measure: 2024 to 2025 [<1.0 MB]
• Figure 3. Change in Percentage of People in Poverty Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2024 to 2025 [<1.0 MB]
• Figure 4. Poverty Rates Using the Official+ and Supplemental Poverty Measures: 2009 to 2025 [<1.0 MB]
• Figure 5. Poverty Rates Using the Official+ and Supplemental Poverty Measures by Age Group: 2009 to 2025 [<1.0 MB]
• Figure 6. Change in Number of People in Supplemental Poverty After Including Each Element: 2025 [<1.0 MB]
• Figure 7. Change in Supplemental Poverty Measure Rates After Including Specific Elements: 2025 [<1.0 MB]

Source Information

For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar26.pdf.

The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data used to produce this product (Data Management System [DMS] number: P-7534374, Disclosure Review Board (DRB) approval number: CBDRB-FY26-0280).

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