This dataset contains the underlying data for the State of the Safety Net webtool, a core element of the State of the Safety Net Initiative, plus additional data. All data in this release are estimates for 2023.

The data rely on Urban’s Analysis of Transfers, Taxes, and Income Security (ATTIS) microsimulation model to estimate safety net eligibility and participation rates across states and demographic groups and to show how the level of program participation affects poverty rates. We apply the model to combined 2022 and 2023 American Community Survey data, adjusted to reflect 2023 population and income characteristics. American Community Survey data were obtained from IPUMS USA.

Our analysis covers seven safety net programs and two federal tax credits. Programs we provide data for include the following:

• public and subsidized housing assistance
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
• Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)
• child tax credit (CTC) refundable portion
• earned income tax credit (EITC)

The dataset contains the following types of information nationally, state-by-state, and for various demographic subgroups:

• eligibility estimates for each program
• eligibility rates for each program (percentage of the population who are eligible)
• participation rates for selected programs (percentage of the eligible population that receives benefits)
• participation gaps for selected programs (number of eligible individuals or households who do not receive benefits)
• poverty estimates under existing program participation levels
• poverty estimates under different participation assumptions

We will be updating this dataset in the coming months to add additional program-level results for eligibility and participation, as well as additional poverty estimates. Please contact us to be notified when new data are added.

This initiative is supported by multiple funders, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Pritzker Children’s Initiative. We are grateful to them and to all our funders, who make it possible for Urban to advance its mission. 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 or the underlying methodology. Further information on the Urban Institute’s funding principles is available at https://www.urban.org/about/organizational-principles.