Local Child Tax Credits Could Significantly Reduce Child Poverty
Posted by Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy on October 21, 2025
Child Tax Credits have been the focus of increased lawmaker attention over the past few years, especially following the dramatic success of the 2021 federal CTC expansion in reducing child poverty and the subsequent resurgence of pre-pandemic child poverty levels. While 15 states now supplement the federal credit with their own Child Tax Credits to better reduce poverty, boost economic security, and invest in children, no cities have yet implemented their own credits. These local Child Tax Credits are a logical next step for local lawmakers looking to deliver meaningful results for their communities.
A new analysis by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, produced with the support of Share Our Strength, focuses on the potential of these credits and finds that local lawmakers could aid in significantly reducing child poverty with relatively modest investments in local Child Tax Credits. The study focuses on 14 cities (Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, and the District of Columbia).
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