This FAQ provides a list of websites, arranged by topic in alphabetical order with brief descriptions and links, that provide basic information on trends in poverty and related issues.
See also FAQ: What are good sources of demographic and socioeconomic information for states, counties, and cities?
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Child and Family Well-Being
Estimates of child support received by custodial parents from noncustodial parents on behalf of their children drawn from each year’s April edition of Current Population Survey (CPS). Note: There were major changes made to the April CPS starting in 1994, which precludes easy comparisons of 1993 or later child support data to earlier data.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Maternal and Infant Health
Data and statistics on maternal and infant health, including pregnancy complications, preterm birth, and infant mortality.
Since 1995, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Children’s Bureau compiles annual reports, including data submitted by states.
The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics comprises a working group of 23 agencies that collects, analyzes, and reports data on conditions and trends related to child and family well-being.
Child Welfare Information Gateway
A service of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Children’s Bureau, the site provides information, resources, and tools covering topics including child welfare, child abuse and neglect, out-of-home care, adoption, and statistics on the number of children who are abused, neglected, and in foster care.
Annie E. Casey Foundation project offering data on child and family well-being in the United States by location, topic, and characteristic. Includes statistics on demographics, economic well-being, education, family and community, health, parental incarceration, and safety and risky behaviors. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s publications list includes the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book which notes state-level trends in child well-being.
National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)
Nonpartisan, public interest research organization from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education dedicated to promoting economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income children and families. Site offers access to extensive data and tools, including the Basic Needs Budget Calculator, Family Resource Simulator, State Immigration Policy Profiles, and Benefit Cliffs Calculator (MTRC).
National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health)
Longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of over 20,000 adolescents who were in grades 7–12 during the 1994–1995 school year. These children have been followed since then (most recently interviewed in 2016-18). Combines longitudinal data on respondents’ social, economic, and psychological and physical well-being with contextual data on the family, neighborhood, community, school, friendships, peer groups, and romantic relationships.
National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)
A rich source of longitudinal data on multiple, intersecting aspects of children and their lives, including mental and physical health, access to and quality of health care, and family, neighborhood, school, and social contexts.
National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG)
Survey that gathers information on family life, marriage and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of contraception, and men’s and women’s health.
Joint projects of the Census Bureau and particular states making state data available through a network of state agencies, universities, libraries, and regional and local governments. Find links to lead agencies for each state or island area on the SCD Member Network page.
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
Monitors six types of health-risk behaviors contributing to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults, including behaviors contributing to unintentional injuries and violence; sexual behaviors related to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection; alcohol and other drug use; tobacco use; unhealthy dietary behaviors; and inadequate physical activity.
Consumer Price Index and Inflation
Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index program tracks monthly changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for selected goods and services. The site includes interactive charts depicting recent trends.
See also IRP’s FAQ: What is the Consumer Price Index and how is it used?. This FAQ provides general information on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and contains links to more detailed information on the CPI from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including a CPI calculator that can be used to inflate and deflate prices from year to year.
Criminal Justice
Crime and justice statistics for states and selected large counties and metropolitan areas, including information on corrections, courts, crime type, Indian Country justice, law enforcement, and victims.
Easy Access to Juvenile Populations (EZAPOP)
Compilation of justice-related information for youths, including population profiles, state comparisons, and county comparisons derived from data collected by the Census Bureau and subsequently modified by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Indicators of School Crime and Safety
National Center for Education Statistics annual reports on topics such as school shootings; student and teacher victimization; fights, weapons, and illegal substances; and discipline, safety, and security practices.
Pew Research Center Criminal Justice Trends
Interactive tools and data sets related to criminal justice and policing in the United States.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
Internal Revenue Service EITC page
The EITC is a refundable tax credit for people with low to moderate income and a significant U.S. antipoverty program. Includes information on EITC claims over time, by state, and statistical sample wording. See also the Statistics for Tax Returns with EITC page.
An Urban Institute and Brookings Institution project offering a guide to elements of the federal tax system, including the EITC.
Education
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
The primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations, NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.
National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS)
Provides information on U.S. colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutions.
Public opinion polling and data on U.S. trends in higher education, K-12 schooling, and online learning.
National Center for Education Statistics Teacher Trends – Fast Facts
Summarizes current trends in the teaching profession and provides links to sources and more extensive data.
Trends in Higher Education, College Board
Resource of the College Board providing information about trends in college pricing, student aid, returns to higher education, community college enrollment, and related topics.
Employment
Department of Labor releases monthly trend data as well as data on unemployment in their Economy at a Glance section. Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Occupational Employment Statistics are available for the nation, individual states, and for metropolitan and non-metro areas.
Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity
Bureau of Labor Statistics page for labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics by race and ethnicity.
Source data used in MDRC analyses on a wide range of topics related to poverty, including barriers to employment.
USDA Economic Research Service – Rural Economy and Population
Indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas; focused on the U.S. rural economy including employment, unemployment, and labor force participation. Includes “Rural America at a Glance” annual reports.
Food Insecurity
USDA Economic Research Service Food Security in the U.S.
Overview of food security in the United States. Key statistics and graphics available on food security of households, households with children, estimates of population living in food-insecure households, very low food security by household characteristics, trends in prevalence rates, and a map of state-level prevalence of food insecurity.
Estimates of food insecurity at the state, county, food bank, and congressional district levels.
Wisconsin Food Security Project
Localized information about the food security infrastructure in Wisconsin.
Users can create custom maps, community profiles, and charts. Selected data are also downloadable. The project is a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Human Ecology and UW Extension Family Living Programs.
Health
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project
Family of databases, software tools, and related products developed through a federal-state-industry partnership and sponsored by the HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Databases, which are derived from administrative data, cover encounter-level, clinical, and nonclinical information including diagnoses and procedures, discharge status, patient demographics, and charges for all patients regardless of payer (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, uninsured),since 1988.
Recent and trend data from the Census Bureau collection of health insurance data for the nation and for particular states.
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention downloadable public-use data files providing access to data sets, documentation, and questionnaires from NCHS surveys and data collection systems, including links to the following:
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
National Health Care Surveys (multiple)
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)
National Immunization Survey (NIS)
Income
Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Economic Accounts
Economic activity and growth estimates, by geography. Estimates of GDP by state, and state and local area personal income, for analyzing and comparing individual state and local area economies.
Contains extensive nation and state data on income trends.
Guide to Statistics on Historical Trends in Income Inequality
A Center on Budget and Policy Priorities tool for using the Center’s research and publications on income trends.
Medicaid and Medicare
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Summary statistics for Medicaid, Medicare, and other health care programs, including trend data. Searches are facilitated by the CMS DataNavigator tool. See also CMS Fast Facts.
Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts
Compare indicators across states for Medicaid and CHIP and Medicare.
Nonmarital Childbearing
National Center for Health Statistics
Access to data and trend reports on unmarried childbearing in the United States.
National Survey of Family Growth
Gathers information on family life, including nonmarital childbearing, trends in attitudes, and related information tracking long-term change.
Poverty
Census Bureau topics on Income and Poverty
U.S. Census Bureau resource offering data from household surveys and programs including poverty estimates and thresholds.
The Center for Poverty and Social Policy
Harnessing multiple data sources to demonstrate and document trends in poverty and the impact of social policy across the decades, The Center’s “Historical Poverty Trends & Measurement” project offers a unique data set extending the Supplemental Poverty Measure (first applied in 2009) to historical data back to 1967, the year in which the official poverty measure was first used.
Historical County-Level Poverty Estimates Tool
Excel-based tool accesses county-level poverty rates from the 1960-2000 Decennial Census as well as estimates from 2010 based on 5-year data from the American Community Survey.
Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE)
Estimates for select statistics on poverty and income for states, counties, and school districts. Data combined from administrative records, post-census population estimates, and the decennial census with direct estimates from the American Community Survey to provide reliable single-year estimates. SAIPE model-based single-year estimates better reflect current conditions than multi-year survey estimates.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps)
USDA Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP Data Tables
Regular program data and annual summaries of participation and costs from 1969 to the most recent reports; trend reports; national and/or state level data; interactive map of SNAP households by congressional district; retailer data; and more.
The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2023 to 2033 includes SNAP outlay trends and predictions.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Administration For Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance
Access to statistics on TANF caseloads, expenditures, and work participation rates both recent and past.
Center On Budget and Policy Priorities
State TANF retrospective since its implementation in 1996.
Kids Count Data Center and Data Book
Interactive data source maintained by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that includes information about the number of families receiving TANF by state and over time.
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
All-inclusive information about the income and program participation of individuals and households in the United States, including TANF.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
USDA Food and Nutrition Service – WIC Data Tables
Provides national summaries, 1974 to present; monthly data from 2012 to present; and annual state-level participation data from 2009 to present.