Rising poverty proves policies like improved child tax credit matter

Earlier this month, the U.S. census released data on poverty in 2022, and despite a growing economy, a great many families have been left behind.

Nationally, one measure of poverty jumped from 7.8 percent in 2021 to 12.4 percent in 2022. That’s the highest increase i n nearly 50 years. For children, the picture is even worse. In just one year, child poverty more than doubled from 5.2 percent to 12.4 percent. That means that more than 9 million children — one out of every eight kids — were in poverty in 2022.

Click here to read the full op-ed by MECEP analyst James Myall and Maine Equal Justice economic security policy analyst Ann Danforth, first published September 26, 2023 in the Bangor Daily News.