Figure D
Severe poverty levels were dropping until the pandemic recession hit. Black families were especially affected by this change: Share of low-income families below 50% of the federal poverty line (FPL), 2007–2023
| Year | White | Black | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 16.2% | 26.1% | 17.1% |
| 2008 | 15.9% | 27.3% | 18.0% |
| 2009 | 18.1% | 27.3% | 20.0% |
| 2010 | 18.0% | 30.3% | 21.6% |
| 2011 | 18.7% | 28.9% | 20.2% |
| 2012 | 18.6% | 28.5% | 19.1% |
| 2013 | 22.3% | 27.0% | 20.9% |
| 2014 | 19.0% | 27.1% | 18.3% |
| 2015 | 18.4% | 24.2% | 17.1% |
| 2016 | 18.5% | 27.3% | 16.5% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | 25.3% | 16.6% |
| 2018 | 17.7% | 22.5% | 15.6% |
| 2019 | 17.6% | 22.5% | 15.1% |
| 2020 | 20.0% | 27.2% | 17.2% |
| 2021 | 18.9% | 24.7% | 18.9% |
| 2022 | 18.2% | 22.0% | 17.6% |
| 2023 | 17.7% | 24.5% | 16.8% |
Note: Shaded areas denote recessions. Race and ethnicity are mutually exclusive (i.e., white alone non-Hispanic, Black alone or in any combination non-Hispanic, Hispanic any race).
Source: EPI analysis of 2008–2024 U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata.
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- Low-income families of color took a heavy hit during the last two recessions: Trump’s economic agenda, based on austerity for the poor and subsidies for the rich, will leave these families at risk of even more hardship in the next recession
- The last two recessions have hit low-income families of color hard: Trump’s economic agenda will expose millions to even more pain when the next recession strikes