Historic 2021 Decline in Child Poverty Proves Effectiveness of Federal Investments
By Priya Pandey, Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Lorena Roque, Suma Setty, Juliana Zhou, Alejandra Londono Gomez & Alycia Hardy
The release of 2021 poverty and health insurance coverage data from the U.S. Census Bureau demonstrates how government action in response to the pandemic stabilized households, uplifted millions of people from poverty, and brought uninsurance rates to historic lows. However, many of these provisions were temporary and have now expired, although the need for them has not gone away. These data reinforce the urgency of permanently filling the gaps in existing programs and expanding public investment to address unmet areas of need to promote economic security and strengthen our economy overall.
