In Hawaii, Safety Net Lifts Roughly 220,000 People Above Poverty Line and Provides Health Coverage to 41 Percent of Children

From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Federal and state safety net programs lift an estimated 220,000 Hawaii residents above the poverty line each year, reducing the poverty rate from 30.3 percent (before counting government benefits and taxes) to 13.1 percent. Many are children: the safety net lifts roughly 72,000 Hawaii children above the poverty line, reducing the child poverty rate from 33.9 percent to 10.3 percent. All figures in this fact sheet reflect the most recent data of their kind available.

The figures measure the combined impact of federal, state, and local policies, but federal programs account for the vast majority of poverty reduction in every state….

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CBPP: The Safety Net’s Impact: A State-by-State Look

HNN: Report: Safety net key to pushing Hawaii residents above poverty line