Words by Tess Becker
There has been an unprecedented decline in child poverty in the US, which is news to celebrate.
Wow, just like that?
The cost of living is a struggle for many at the moment, but it's worth noting that child poverty has been consistently declining for over 25 years.
Today, roughly 1 in 10 children live in families whose economic resources are considered below the poverty line, a 59% drop over the last 26 years.
What’s causing the shift?
In some ways, lower unemployment and fewer stay-at-home parents have contributed, as well as fewer teenage pregnancies, smaller family sizes, and increases in the rates of children living in two-parent households.
But those factors aren’t the primary reason for the decline.
A report showed all the contributing factors and the biggest ones that stuck out were social safety nets, specifically two social safety net programs, the Earned-Income Tax Credit, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The report shows that between 1993 to 2019, poverty rates declined at similar rates for nearly every subgroup of children examined.
Now that's something to share and celebrate.
