Key facts
- The official U.S. poverty rate fell to a record low of 10.2% in 2025.
- Median household income reached a record $87,460 in 2025.
- The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) is calculated differently than the official poverty rate, considering noncash benefits and regional cost of living differences.
- Pandemic-era relief programs significantly lowered the SPM in 2020 and 2021.
- Government safety net programs kept an estimated 44.9 million people out of poverty in 2017.
The official U.S. poverty rate declined to a record low of 10.2% in 2025, with median household income reaching a record $87,460, according to annual data from the Census Bureau. The number of people living below the poverty threshold was 34.5 million.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which accounts for government transfers and noncash benefits, showed a different trend. The SPM rate fell significantly in 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic-era relief programs like stimulus payments and expanded unemployment benefits. However, as these programs expired, the SPM rate increased to 12.4% in 2022. President Donald Trump shared a chart comparing poverty rate changes during his and President Joe Biden's administrations, which used the SPM and omitted context about the impact of COVID-19 relief.
In 2017, government safety net programs, including Social Security, food stamps, and tax credits, kept an estimated 44.9 million people out of poverty. However, out-of-pocket medical costs pushed 10.9 million people below the poverty threshold that year.