Despite a strong labor market in 2022, the poverty rate for families headed by single mothers soared, according to a new analysis provided first to Axios.
Why it matters: That’s due to the expiration of key pandemic-era benefits, including the child tax credit.
- Women and children face disproportionate poverty and hardship in the U.S., writes Shengwei Sun, a senior research analyst at the National Women’s Law Center, who wrote the report.
Zoom in: Sun analyzed the U.S. Census Bureau’s supplemental poverty measure, which looks at the share of the population with income below the poverty line and takes into account paychecks, SNAP benefits, and tax credits.
By the numbers: The overall supplemental poverty rate increased to 12.4% from 7.8%, while child poverty more than doubled, the September census data showed.