With its lack of accounting of major government support programs, the 2021 official poverty rate changed little across states: Total share and child share below official poverty line by state, 2019–2021

State 2019 share below official poverty line 2021 share below official  poverty line 2019 to 2021 percentage point change in official poverty 2019 child share below official poverty line 2021 child share below official poverty line 2019 to 2021 percentage point change in official child poverty
Alabama 15.5% 16.1% 0.6% 21.4% 22.2% 0.8%
Alaska 10.1% 10.5% 0.4% 13.0% 12.4% -0.6%
Arizona 13.5% 12.8% -0.7% 19.1% 17.3% -1.8%
Arkansas 16.2% 16.3% 0.1% 22.1% 22.4% 0.3%
California 11.8% 12.3% 0.5% 15.6% 15.8% 0.2%
Colorado 9.3% 9.7% 0.4% 10.9% 11.8% 0.9%
Connecticut 10.0% 10.1% 0.1% 14.1% 12.7% -1.4%
Delaware 11.3% 11.6% 0.3% 16.4% 16.8% 0.4%
Washington D.C. 13.5% 16.5% 3.0% 18.9% 23.9% 5.0%
Florida 12.7% 13.1% 0.4% 17.7% 17.8% 0.1%
Georgia 13.3% 14.0% 0.7% 18.7% 20.2% 1.5%
Hawaii 9.3% 11.2% 1.9% 12.4% 13.6% 1.2%
Idaho 11.2% 11.0% -0.2% 13.2% 13.1% -0.1%
Illinois 11.5% 12.1% 0.6% 15.7% 16.0% 0.3%
Indiana 11.9% 12.2% 0.3% 15.2% 16.0% 0.8%
Iowa 11.2% 11.1% -0.1% 13.0% 12.5% -0.5%
Kansas 11.4% 11.7% 0.3% 14.7% 13.4% -1.3%
Kentucky 16.3% 16.5% 0.2% 21.7% 22.1% 0.4%
Louisiana 19.0% 19.6% 0.6% 27.0% 26.9% -0.1%
Maine 10.9% 11.5% 0.6% 13.8% 15.1% 1.3%
Maryland 9.0% 10.3% 1.3% 12.0% 14.0% 2.0%
Massachusetts 9.4% 10.4% 1.0% 11.6% 12.6% 1.0%
Michigan 13.0% 13.1% 0.1% 17.6% 17.8% 0.2%
Minnesota 9.0% 9.3% 0.3% 11.2% 10.8% -0.4%
Mississippi 19.6% 19.4% -0.2% 28.1% 27.7% -0.4%
Missouri 12.9% 12.7% -0.2% 17.1% 16.2% -0.9%
Montana 12.6% 11.9% -0.7% 14.9% 14.1% -0.8%
Nebraska 9.9% 10.8% 0.9% 11.0% 12.5% 1.5%
Nevada 12.5% 14.1% 1.6% 16.9% 18.8% 1.9%
New Hampshire 7.3% 7.2% -0.1% 7.1% 9.2% 2.1%
New Jersey 9.2% 10.2% 1.0% 12.3% 14.2% 1.9%
New Mexico 18.2% 18.4% 0.2% 24.9% 23.9% -1.0%
New York 13.0% 13.9% 0.9% 18.1% 18.5% 0.4%
North Carolina 13.6% 13.4% -0.2% 19.5% 18.1% -1.4%
North Dakota 10.6% 11.1% 0.5% 10.2% 10.5% 0.3%
Ohio 13.1% 13.4% 0.3% 18.4% 18.6% 0.2%
Oklahoma 15.2% 15.6% 0.4% 19.9% 21.2% 1.3%
Oregon 11.4% 12.2% 0.8% 13.1% 13.5% 0.4%
Pennsylvania 12.0% 12.1% 0.1% 16.9% 16.9% 0.0%
Rhode Island 10.8% 11.4% 0.6% 14.0% 15.0% 1.0%
South Carolina 13.8% 14.6% 0.8% 19.7% 20.1% 0.4%
South Dakota 11.9% 12.3% 0.4% 15.0% 14.6% -0.4%
Tennessee 13.9% 13.6% -0.3% 19.7% 18.1% -1.6%
Texas 13.6% 14.2% 0.6% 19.2% 19.6% 0.4%
Utah 8.9% 8.6% -0.3% 9.9% 8.1% -1.8%
Vermont 10.2% 10.3% 0.1% 10.2% 10.4% 0.2%
Virginia 9.9% 10.2% 0.3% 13.4% 13.1% -0.3%
Washington 9.8% 9.9% 0.1% 12.0% 12.0% 0.0%
West Virginia 16.0% 16.8% 0.8% 20.1% 20.7% 0.6%
Wisconsin 10.4% 10.8% 0.4% 13.5% 13.4% -0.1%
Wyoming 10.1% 11.4% 1.3% 11.6% 13.4% 1.8%

Source: EPI analysis of 2019 and 2021 1-year American Community Survey data.

View the underlying data on epi.org.