Definition: Estimated percentage of children ages 0-17 in living situations with incomes below their Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) threshold (e.g., in 2025, 16.6% of California children lived in poverty, according to the SPM).
Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (Sept. 2026).
Footnote: The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) extends the official poverty measure by accounting for a wider range of living situations, economic resources, and expenditures. For details on the SPM and differences between the SPM and the official poverty measure, visit the U.S. Census Bureau. These estimates are based on a survey of the population and are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. Because of disruptions to data collection, estimates for 2020—marked here with an asterisk (*)—should be treated with caution; see Information and Advice on 2020 Federal Data Quality and Use.
