TANF benefits reach few families in the Southern states, especially those with large populations of Black children: States with TPRs of 10 or less compared with the share of Black children by state
| State | TPR | Share of state children who are Black |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 2 | 16.1% |
| Texas | 2 | 11.9% |
| Georgia | 3 | 31.6% |
| Louisiana | 3 | 32.8% |
| Mississippi | 3 | 38.2% |
| North Carolina | 4 | 20.3% |
| Arizona | 5 | 5.0% |
| Indiana | 5 | 10.0% |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 6.5% |
| Missouri | 6 | 11.7% |
| North Dakota | 6 | 4.4% |
| Alabama | 7 | 27.1% |
| Idaho | 7 | 1.1% |
| South Carolina | 7 | 26.7% |
| Kansas | 8 | 4.5% |
| Michigan | 8 | 15.2% |
| Wyoming | 8 |
Note: "TPR" is the TANF-poverty ratio. TPR is calculated by dividing the number of TANF cash assistance cases by the number of families with children in poverty from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).
Source: Adapted from Kaiser Family Foundation, 2012, States’ Positions in the Affordable Care Act Case at the Supreme Court and Victoria Bowden, Diana Azevedo-McCaffrey, and Maria Manansala, 2025, “AFDC and TANF Caseload and Poverty Data,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 2025.