Stimulus checks and jobless aid cut U.S. poverty rate in 2020

The poverty rate in the U.S. fell to 9.1 percent last year, according to the Census Bureau, as Americans received economic relief by way of pandemic-related stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits. Nearly 8.5 million people were lifted out of poverty last year. “This really highlights the importance of our social safety net,” said Liana Fox, chief of the Census Bureau’s Poverty Statistics Branch.