Census Data Shows U.S. Poverty Rates Not Significantly Changed in 2024

Posted by Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity on September 16, 2025

In this Spotlight Exclusive, we look at the new poverty data released Tuesday by the Census Bureau. The main measure of U.S. poverty did not change significantly in 2024, and household income also remained about level except for gains among the wealthiest Americans, Census officials said.

Overall, many aspects of the annual Census Bureau data on poverty, income, and insurance for the final year of former President Joe Biden’s administration were not significantly changed from the previous year. The supplemental poverty measure, which is considered the main gauge of poverty as it is adjusted for government support such as food assistance and tax credits, as well as household expenses, was 12.9% in 2024, similar to the previous year, the Census Bureau said. The official poverty rate fell slightly to 10.6% from 11.1% in 2023. Real median household income was $83,730 in 2024, not significantly different from 2023, bureau officials said. Median income increased by 5.1% for Asian households and 5.5% for Hispanic households, while it declined by 3.3% for Black households in 2024. It did not change significantly for white households. “We’re seeing that household income and earnings kept pace with inflation,” Liana Fox, bureau assistant division chief for social, economic and housing statistics, told reporters. “It’s a story of stability, but not necessarily growth – except at the top end of the income distribution,” she said.

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