Monitoring Multidimensional Poverty in the United States

Sophie Mitra and Debra Brucker, (2019) ''Monitoring multidimensional poverty in the United States'', Economics Bulletin, Vol. 39 No. 2 p.A122.

23 Pages Posted: 14 Jun 2019

See all articles by Sophie Mitra

Sophie Mitra

Fordham University

Debra Brucker

University of New Hampshire

Date Written: June 1, 2019

Abstract

On the international stage, poverty is increasingly understood multi-dimensionally as a deprivation of wellbeing in several dimensions rather than solely as a lack of income or low consumption. In the U.S., recent research shows that many people who are not counted as poor under the official or supplemental measures of income poverty experience multidimensional poverty. Yet there is no monitoring of multidimensional poverty. This paper examines trends in multidimensional poverty in the U.S. since 2013 using a measure that includes deprivations in family income, self-reported health status, educational attainment, employment status, and health insurance coverage. Using Current Population Survey data for years 2013 to 2017, the percentage of the total population experiencing multidimensional poverty decreased significantly each year, from 13.8% in 2013 to 10.0% in 2017. However, between 2016 and 2017, the extent of the decline in multidimensional poverty was smaller than in earlier years and became less widely shared across population groups. Increased deprivations in health insurance explain this more limited decline in multidimensional poverty in 2017.

Keywords: multidimensional poverty; multiple deprivations; poverty; United States

JEL Classification: I32; I31

Suggested Citation

Mitra, Sophie and Brucker, Debra, Monitoring Multidimensional Poverty in the United States (June 1, 2019). Sophie Mitra and Debra Brucker, (2019) ''Monitoring multidimensional poverty in the United States'', Economics Bulletin, Vol. 39 No. 2 p.A122., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3398367

Sophie Mitra (Contact Author)

Fordham University ( email )

441 East Fordham road
Bronx, NY 10458
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.fordham.edu/economics/mitra

Debra Brucker

University of New Hampshire ( email )

15 College Road
Durham, NH 03824
United States

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