Library

Looking for new and notable information to help you dig deeper into an issue? Start with these featured reports and web sites, and then browse through our full selection by topic.

Reports: Featured

Collaborative on Economic Mobility
Office of Community Services. Administration for Children and Familie, January 2025, 94 pp.
This report highlights emerging and promising practices that enhance economic mobility for individuals, families, and communities facing poverty. It includes a landscape analysis designed to increase understanding of the factors and conditions contributing to economic mobility. more info >

Rural America at a Glance: 2024 Edition
United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, November 2024, 32 pp.
This report highlights the most recent indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas, focusing on the U.S. rural economy, including employment, population, poverty, and income trends. more info >

A National Profile of Youth and Young Adults
Annie E. Casey Foundation, October 2024
Presents data related to more than 60 indicators on the health and well-being of young people ages 14 to 24, including employment, poverty, education, health, mental health, and family and community issues. Many of the indicators are available by race and ethnicity, and are also provided by state and, in some cases, by territory, city and congressional district. more info >

America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, September 2024, 118 pp.
Reports data on a set of indicators of child well-being. Indicators included are in the categories of family and social environment, economic categories, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. This is an annual report. more info >

U.S. Child Poverty in 2023
First Focus, September 2024, 8 pp.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that nearly 14% of children (nearly 10 million) in the United States lived in households with incomes below the poverty threshold in 2023 ($37,482 for a family of four with two children). This represents a 10% increase in child poverty from 2022, resulting in almost one million more children experiencing poverty in a year. more info >

Poverty in the United States: 2023
U.S. Census Bureau, September 2024, 61 pp.
This report provides estimates of two measures of poverty: the official poverty measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), finding that there were 36.8 million people in poverty in the United States in 2023. more info >

Cutting Child Poverty in Half and More: Pandemic-Era Lessons From Child and Family Advocates and Organizers
Foundation for Child Development, June 2024, 34 pp.
This paper examines how comprehensive - but temporary - pandemic-era policies dramatically reduced child poverty and uplifted low-income families. It presents data on poverty rates among young children and explores how family financial well-being directly impacts young children's prospects. more info >

The State of the American Middle Class
Pew Research Center, May 2024
Presents key trends about the economic status of the U.S. middle class, including that the percentage of Americans living in middle-class households has decreased from 71% in 1971 to 61% in 2023. more info >

Recent Trends in Children’s Poverty and Health Insurance as Pandemic-Era Programs Expire
Kaiser Family Foundation, January 2024, 6 pp.
This issue brief examines recent trends in children's poverty rates and the impact of expiring federal aid, including the loss of Medicaid coverage for many children. more info >

Benefits to Rural America from the Inflation Reduction Act: Driving Jobs, Investment, and Economic Resilience
E2, January 2024, 24 pp.
Examines the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act's investment in America’s rural economic growth and resilience, finding that in its first year, IRA incentives spurred 52 major rural manufacturing projects that are projected to create 67,000 rural jobs and nearly $2 billion in worker income. more info >

Race for Results: Building a Pathway to Opportunity for All Children
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, January 2024, 51 pp.
This report uses the Race for Results Index, a collection of data presented by racial and ethnic groups and by state, to examine progress and disparities related to child and youth wellbeing. Indicators address early childhood, academic achievement, teen parenting, higher education, and family characteristics. more info >

The State of America's Children
Children's Defense Fund, December 2023, 86 pp.
A compilation of national and state-by-state data on poverty, health, child welfare, youth at risk, early childhood development, education, nutrition and housing. Report is compiled annually. more info >

How Do Americans View Social Security?
AARP, November 2023, 6 pp.
Using General Social Survey data from 1984 through 2021, this report investigates Americans' perceptions of Social Security. Consistent with other research, it demonstrates that Social Security has been and continues to be viewed favorably, enjoying widespread popularity across socioeconomic and political groups. more info >

U.S Child Poverty Has Significantly Increased
First Focus on Children, September 2023, 8 pp.
The year 2023 saw a significant increase in child poverty, with 12.4 percent of children living in poverty in 2022 compared with 5.2% of children in 2021. This represents a more than doubling of child poverty in 2022 from 2021 - a record one-year increase due largely to the expiration of improvements to the Child Tax Credit included in the American Rescue Plan Act. more info >

Child Tax Credit Options for Reducing Child Poverty
Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Columbia Center on Poverty and Social Policy, November 2022, 3 pp.
One of a series of reports presents state Child Tax Credit options that would reduce state child poverty rates when coupled with existing federal law. more info >

Advancing Economic Mobility for Low-Income Families: Policy Options for Governors
NGA Center for Best Practices, September 2022, 25 pp.
Suggests a range of strategies for policymakers to help promote savings and increase income levels among low-income individuals and families. more info >

The Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report
USDA Economic Research Service, June 2022, 36 pp.
This report uses preliminary data from USDA, Food and Nutrition Service and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service to examine program trends and policy changes in USDA’s largest U.S. food and nutrition assistance programs through FY 2021. more info >

Chart Book: The Far-Reaching Benefits of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid Expansion
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, October 2020, 24 pp.
A growing body of research shows that Medicaid expansion is yielding significant benefits for those gaining coverage, their families, and their communities. This chart book highlights a number of the studies and outcomes. more info >

Web sites

Prosperity Now Scorecard
Ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia on performance measures in the areas of Financial Security, Business Development, Homeownership, Health Care and Education. more info >

diversitydatakids.org
Presents measures of child wellbeing and policy analysis for states, counties, large cities, and metropolitan areas. more info >