According to Census Bureau data released in September 2020, the poverty rate in the U.S. decreased to 12.7% in 2019 from 10.5% in 2016. That means 6.6 million fewer people were in poverty in 2019 than three years before.
The bureau defined the poverty threshold for a single person under 65 as $13,300 in annual income, and for a family of four as $26,172.
In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic, with shutdowns and joblessness, undermined those gains. The extent of the setback could be further aggravated if Congress doesn't extend relief measures expiring at yearend. A Columbia University research group says the expiry of the provisions enacted earlier in the year could push 4.8 million more Americans into poverty in January 2021.