US poverty rate dipped if government aid factored in

The US official poverty rate rose slightly in 2020 to 11.4 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, up from a record low 10.5 percent in 2019, the US Census Bureau reported Tuesday. But if all the government aid programs, such as stimulus checks, food stamps and school lunches were deducted, the bureau's supplemental poverty measure showed a decline to 9.1 percent in 2020 from 11.8 percent in 2019.