The rate of overall poverty and child poverty in the United States surged last year under the Biden administration while household incomes declined, according to recently published government figures.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate in 2022 rose by 4.6 percentage points, to 12.4 percent, and registered the “first increase in the overall SPM poverty rate since 2010,” said the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday. SPM is different from the official poverty rate as it not only takes personal income in its calculations but also incorporates government aid when considering poverty measures, including food and housing assistance as well as the COVID-19 relief measures provided during the pandemic.
