Poverty in the United States: 50-Year Trends and Safety Net Impacts

This report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) presents analyses of the impact of the safety net on poverty rates and a close look at populations experiencing high risks of poverty during the 50 years since the War on Poverty began. The report highlights the increasing role of safety net programs in lifting families and children out of poverty between 1967 and 2012 by providing estimates of what poverty rates would have looked like had resources from government policies and programs not been available.