Poverty Rate for the Black Population Fell Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

DATA USER NOTE:

On July 17, 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics re-released SPM thresholds for 2019-2024 following the discovery of coding errors. The U.S. Census Bureau will publish revised SPM poverty rates using these updated thresholds prior to the release of the annual poverty report in September. Refer to BLS statement and Census statement for more information.

The official poverty rate of the U.S. Black population reached a historic low of 17.1% in 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today.

The 2022 poverty rate for the Black population fell to a record low even after accounting for survey and methodological changes to the CPS ASEC, the Census Bureau’s longest-running survey.

Estimates from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) show the Black population was one of the only major demographic groups to experience a significant change in poverty between 2021 and 2022.

The official poverty rate for the nation was 11.5%, unchanged from 2021.

The 2022 poverty rate for the Black population fell to a record low even after accounting for survey and methodological changes to the CPS ASEC, the Census Bureau’s longest-running survey.

Figure 1 charts historic official poverty rates for the Black population back to 1959, when the official poverty rate for Black individuals was 55.1%, the highest rate on record.

Poverty rates in 2022 were also at historic lows for Black children under 18, at 22.3% (Figure 2).

The 2022 official poverty rate for Black adults ages 18 to 64 was 14.9%, numerically a historic low (though not statistically different from 2019). The official poverty rate for Black adults 65 and older was 17.6%, not statistically different from 2021.

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