Every year the Coalition on Human Needs examines the data released by the Census Bureau to learn about the state of poverty in our nation. We look for large indicators such as how much poverty has increased or decreased and for important indicators of social programs effectiveness in lifting people out of poverty.

(Note: If you are looking for the 2020 Census Campaign Page please click here.)

There are two major sources each year for this data:

• The American Community Survey: an ongoing survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, educational attainment, income, language proficiency, migration, disability, employment, and housing characteristics.
• The Current Population Survey: the Current Population Survey (CPS), sponsored jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is the primary source of labor force statistics for the population of the United States.

Beginning in 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau began publishing the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which extends the official poverty measure by taking account of many of the government programs designed to assist low-income families and individuals that are not included in the official poverty measure.

Below you can find the reports, analysis, and infographics that CHN has produced each year:

2019 (documents released Fall 2019, using 2018 data)

• CHN news release: “Unhealthy Statistics: Fewer Americans Have Health Insurance — And Millions Are Not Sharing in Economic Growth, 09/10/19
• CHN’s First Look Snapshot Analysis of Poverty Data, Updated 10/9/19
• CBPP statement: More Americans Uninsured, Although Progress on Poverty Continues, 09/10/19
• CBPP blog post: “Programs Targeted for Cuts Keep Millions from Poverty, New Census Data Show,” 09/10/19
• CBPP blog post: “Census: Health Care Progress Eroded in 2018,” 09/10/19
• CLASP statement: “Latest Poverty Data: Children’s Health Insurance Down, Families’ Economic Security At Risk,” 09/10/19
• First Focus blog post: “We Know We Can Cut Child Poverty in Half, So Why Aren’t We?”, 09/10/19
• FRAC news release: “Millions of Americans Continue to Struggle Against Poverty,” 09/10/19
• RESULTS webinar: “New Poverty Data Highlights Need to Help Workers and Families,” 9/10/19
• RESULTS Letter to the Editor tool: “Expanding Tax Credits for Low Income Workers Should Be Our Priority“
• U.S. Census Bureau: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018
• U.S. Census Bureau: The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2018
• U.S. Census Bureau: Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2018
• U.S. Census Bureau: Snap Moved 3.1 Million People out of Poverty in 2018
• CHN Sept. 4, 2019 webinar: “What can we expect from the new poverty, income, and health insurance data — and how can we find what we need?” (Note that this link will take you to a downloadable MP4 recording of the webinar as well as a PDF file of the slides presented in the webinar.)
• EPI blog post: What to Watch for the in the 2018 Census Data on Earnings, Incomes, and Poverty, 09/06/19
• CBPP blog post: “What to Look for in Next Week’s Census Figures on Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance.”

2018 (documents released Fall 2018, using 2017 data)

• Press Release: Progress in Fighting Poverty Slows – And for the First Time in Years, the Number of Uninsured Americans Does Not Significantly Decline
• First Look at Poverty and Health Insurance: Progress Slows for People in Need and Uninsured Americans
• State Poverty Snapshots: Alaska, Arizona, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin
• U.S. Census Bureau: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2017
• U.S. Census Bureau: The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2017
• U.S. Census Bureau: Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2017

2017 (documents released Fall 2017, using 2016 data)

• Press Release: 2.5 Million Fewer Poor in 2016; Biggest 2-year Decline in Poverty Since 1969
• First Look at Poverty and Health Insurance: Progress We Need to Build On
• Poverty and Progress reports: National, Arizona, Maine, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin
• U.S. Census Bureau: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2016
• U.S. Census Bureau: The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2016
• U.S. Census Bureau: Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2016

2016 (documents released Fall 2016, using 2015 data)

• Press Release: The High Cost of Being Poor in the U.S. 
• First Look at Poverty and Health Insurance: Progress We Need to Build On
• The High Cost of Being Poor reports: National, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin
• U.S. Census Bureau: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2015
• U.S. Census Bureau: The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2015
• U.S. Census Bureau: Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2015