2023 Poverty Rate By State, Per The Latest Census Data

Poverty in the United States presents a complex mosaic of challenges and disparities. As the latest census data reveals — Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey — poverty rates continue to ebb and flow across the 50 states, each grappling with its unique economic, social, and demographic factors.

We analyzed data on poverty rates by state, looking back over the last decade to see how levels of poverty have changed. Bear in mind that 10 years ago, the year 2012 witnessed many American housing markets finally hit rock bottom and — though the Great Recession had technically ended in 2009, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) — the early 2010s were a time of terribly slow recovery. Thus, poverty rates in 2012 tend to be higher than today. However, that is not always the case.