This data set houses the underlying data for the state fact sheets for "How Much Would Poverty Decrease in Each State If Everyone Received the Safety Net Benefits They’re Eligible For?" For the analysis, we examine how much poverty would decrease—overall, by age, and by race and ethnicity—and how much benefits would increase if all people eligible for safety net programs received the full benefits they qualify for in each of the 50 states and DC. The data show the state-level benefit and poverty results of the analysis.

The data were produced using the Analysis of Transfers, Taxes, and Income Security (ATTIS) microsimulation model. We apply the model to detailed household data from the 2018 American Community Survey (from IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org) that we have projected to represent 2022.

We include the following seven means-tested safety net programs in our analysis: Supplemental Security Income (SSI); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); child care subsidies supported by the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF); the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); and public and subsidized housing. We test the scenario of full participation using real-world rules, without assuming any changes in federal or state eligibility rules or benefit levels. We assess the poverty impacts using the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM).

See our accompanying report at https://www.urban.org/research/publication/safety-net-100-percent-participation for more details about our methodology.

Data can be used with citation: Giannarelli, Linda, Sarah Minton, Laura Wheaton, Sarah Knowles, and Ilham Dehry (2023). "How Much Would Poverty Decrease in Each State If Everyone Received the Safety Net Benefits They’re Eligible For?" Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.

The data were produced with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. Funders do not determine research findings or the insights and recommendations of Urban experts. Further information on the Urban Institute’s funding principles is available at urban.org/funding principles.