The national poverty rate was 12.8% in 2021, but was significantly different for the nation’s oldest and youngest populations, according to a new Census Bureau report released yesterday. The child poverty rate (for people under age 18) was 16.9% in 2021, 4.2 percentage points higher than the national rate, while poverty for those ages 65 and over was 10.3%, 2.5 percentage points lower than the national rate. The American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates provide data for a number of demographic, social and economic indicators, including poverty. The national child poverty rate was 16.9% but there was considerable variation among states, ranging from 8.1% to 27.7%. In 2021, the national poverty rate for people ages 65 and over was 10.3%, significantly lower than the poverty rate for all people and the child poverty rate. There were geographic variations in these poverty rates though not as pronounced as for the child poverty rate. The poverty rates for the older population ranged from 6.7% to 14.1%.
