The share of people living in the United States in families with income below the official federal poverty threshold has fluctuated between about 11 percent and about 15 percent over the past several decades. CBO analyzes a wide variety of federal programs that aim to reduce poverty, alleviate some of poverty's adverse consequences, and enhance income security.
Poverty and Income Security
Featured Work
The Effects of a Minimum-Wage Increase on Employment and Family IncomeFeb 2014 - Raising the minimum wage would increase family income for many low-wage workers, moving some of them out of poverty. But some jobs for low-wage workers would probably be eliminated and the income of those workers would fall substantially.
The 2013 Long-Term Projections for Social Security: Additional InformationDec 2013 - Spending on the Social Security program will exceed its dedicated tax revenues, on average, by about 12 percent over the next decade, CBO projects. The gap will grow larger in the 2020s and will exceed 30 percent of revenues by 2030.
The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2010Dec 2013 - Households in the top quintile (including the top percentile) paid 68.8 percent of all federal taxes, households in the middle quintile paid 9.1 percent, and those in the bottom quintile paid 0.4 percent.
The Distribution of Federal Spending and Taxes in 2006 Nov 2013 - CBO analyzes the distribution of most federal spending—including transfers like Social Security benefits—and almost all federal revenues among U.S. households in 2006. Results are provided by type of household and by income group.
Growth in Means-Tested Programs and Tax Credits for Low-Income HouseholdsFeb 2013 - During the past 40 years, federal spending for major means-tested programs and tax credits for low-income households more than tripled as a share of gross domestic product. In 2012, such spending totaled $588 billion.
Refundable Tax CreditsJan 2013 - The number and cost of refundable tax credits have grown considerably since 1975. Federal costs (in 2013 dollars) peaked at $238 billion in 2008, but costs will fall to $149 billion in 2013, CBO projects, before reaching $213 billion in 2021.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (report, Infographic)Apr 2012 - One in seven U.S. residents received benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called Food Stamps) in 2011, at a total cost of $78 billion. Spending on SNAP benefits more than doubled between 2007 and 2011.
Unemployment Insurance in the Wake of the Recent RecessionNov 2012 - Between 2007 and 2010, unemployment benefits expanded nearly five-fold owing to high unemployment due to the weak economy, and decisions by policymakers to increase the number of weeks for which eligible unemployed workers could receive benefits.
Effective Marginal Tax Rates for Low- and Moderate-Income WorkersNov 2012 - Effective marginal tax rates among low- and moderate-income workers are about 30 percent, on average, with about one-third of that rate stemming from the federal income tax, more than a third from federal payroll taxes, and the remainder from state income taxes and the phaseout of SNAP benefits.
Latest Work
Answers to Questions From Senator Hatch About Various Options for Payroll Taxes and Social Security
ReportJuly 11, 2014S. 1622, Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act
Cost EstimateJuly 7, 2014H.R. 201, Poverty Impact Trigger Act of 2013
Cost EstimateJune 23, 2014S. 161, Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians Restoration Act of 2013
Cost EstimateMay 30, 2014Answers to Questions for the Record Following a Hearing on the Minimum Wage Conducted by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
ReportMay 22, 2014Presentation on the Distribution of Federal Spending and Taxes in 2006
PresentationMay 15, 2014H.R. 4058, the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Improving Opportunities for Youth in Foster Care Act
Cost EstimateMay 2, 2014Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation—CBO's Reestimate of the President's FY 2015 Budget Proposal
Data or Technical InformationApril 17, 2014
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