State of the Union 2019: Poverty and the Safety Net

  • Although there is much worry about millennials’ well-being, their poverty rates at age 30 are no higher than those of Gen Xers at the same age. 
  • But millennials do have very high poverty rates before the safety net takes effect by supplementing market income. Robust tax credit and transfer programs have staved off what would otherwise be an increase in poverty relative to prior generations.

Reference Information

Author: 

Marybeth Mattingly,
Christopher Wimer,
Sophie Collyer,
Luke Aylward
Publisher: 
Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality
Publication Date: 
June 2019