More Americans are falling into poverty, according to a new report on income, poverty and health insurance coverage from the U.S. Census Bureau. Poverty spiked 4.6% from 2021 to 2022 and child poverty more than doubled while median household incomes dropped, the agency reported Tuesday.

What You Need To Know

  • Poverty increased 4.6% in 2022 compared with 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau

  • Real median household incomes fell 2.3% from $76,330 in 2021 to $74,580 in 2022

  • The increase in poverty was largely the result of changes to federal tax policy, including the end of temporary expansions to the chid tax credit and the end of pandemic-era stimulus payments

  • The percentage of individuals covered by health insurance increased from 91.7% to 92.1%

The increase in poverty was largely the result of changes to federal tax policy, including the expiration of temporary expansions to the Child Tax Credit and earned income tax credit and the end of pandemic-era stimulus payments. It was the first time the so-called supplemental poverty measure has increased since 2010. Supplemental poverty rates were particularly high in California, Maryland and New Jersey.

"These aren't just abstract numbers. Millions of kids across the U.S. are living in real poverty — going without sufficient food, shelter and access to opportunities — not because we lack the resources to fix this injustice, but because we choose not to," Oxfam America Economic Justice Policy Lead Rebecca Riddell said in a statement. "Amidst a lot of mixed signals about the state of our economy, this is a stark reminder that despite being the richest country in the world, we continue to permit shocking levels of poverty and extreme inequality."

The median household income last year was $74,580 — 2.3% lower compared with the $76,330 median in 2021, according to the U.S. Census. Median worker earnings were also down by 2.2% between 2021 and 2022.

In a statement, President Joe Biden laid the blame at the feet of congressional Republicans for not extending the enhanced Child Tax Credit.

"We cut child poverty by nearly half to record lows for all children in this nation largely by expanding the Child Tax Credit," the president said. "Last year, Congressional Republicans insisted on raising taxes on families with children.

"The rise reported today in child poverty is no accident—it is the result of a deliberate policy choice congressional Republicans made to block help for families with children while advancing massive tax cuts for the wealthiest and largest corporations," he continued. "No child should grow up in poverty, and I will continue to fight to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit to give tens of millions of families the tax relief and breathing room they deserve."

There was some good news, however. Income inequality dropped for the first time since 2007. The percentage of individuals covered by health insurance also increased from 91.7% to 92.1%, while the rate of uninsured working-age adults between the ages of 19 and 64 decreased .8%