State Fact Sheets (2023)
This series of fact sheets highlights conditions facing the 140 million poor and low-income people in the United States.
Included is a national fact sheet and state-specific fact sheets all 50 states and Washington, D.C., because these tens of millions of people live in every region, state and county of the country, confronting the unnecessary injustices of poverty and economic insecurity, systemic racism, the denial of health care, ecological devastation, wealth inequality and rampant militarism every day.*
The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is using this information to organize across the nation to: reveal the truth of these injustices, change the narrative and build our power.
Fight poverty, not the Poor!
These files were created to print. For the best outcome, print on 11×17 paper and fold in half. The side saying “[STATE] FACT SHEET 2023” should be on the top page, when folded.
United States National Fact Sheet
* These resources draw on the most comprehensive and current publicly available data through May 2023. Where possible, data is disaggregated to reflect the complex reality of the interrelated injustices contained in this document. Unfortunately, there are significant gaps in racial, ethnic and other demographic data, reflecting gaps in data collection and statistical methodologies, which the Poor People’s Campaign cannot control. We continue to push for improvements to fill these gaps.
Forward Focus Fact Sheets
- Institute for Policy Studies: A Moral Budget Vs. A War Budget
- Healthcare
- Housing & Homelessness
- Voter Suppression
- Children & Youth
- Climate Change & Environmental Justice
- Debt
- Immigration
- Policing
- Militarism
- Living Wages
- Download All Fact Sheets (PDF Version)
COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact in M.O.R.E. States
We are hurting, in the throes of a global health pandemic, a recessionary economy, and ongoing police and policy violence. 140 million poor and low-income individuals have been called to sacrifice more than we can afford to give up. These fact sheets provide just a handful of indicators of how people are suffering across the nation.
Health and a Healthy Environment Fact Sheet
Our healthcare system fails to meet the needs of millions of Americans. Care is unaffordable, inaccessible, and unequal. At the same time, as a nation we spend more per person on health care than almost any other country. This money lines the pockets of health care profiteers and investors while leaving nearly 140 million people facing financial hardship as a direct result of their need for health care. It does not need to be this way: we can and must take swift action to secure to everyone the basic human right to health care and a healthy environment.
Housing Fact Sheet
When over 10 million people are without housing or on the brink of homelessness, while at the same time there are over 18 million vacant homes across the country, we must re-examine our nation’s priorities. When mortgage debts, increasing rents, and low wages put us all at risk of losing our housing, our response cannot be to make homelessness a crime. Instead we must recognize the great abundance in our society and guarantee everyone the right to a decent house to live in.
Who is Left Out of the COVID-19 Legislation Fact Sheet
Epidemics emerge along the fissures of our society, reflecting not only the biology of the infectious agent, but patterns of marginalization, exclusion and discrimination. The coronavirus pandemic is no exception. COVID-19 has revealed deep social and economic failures and will reinforce existing health inequities. Before COVID-19, nearly 700 people were dying every day from poverty and inequality, yet the legislative response does not account for the 140 million people who are poor or one emergency closer to being poor today.
Costs of Poverty Fact Sheet
Poverty takes an enormous toll on this country and its people every day. The economic and social costs of poverty and the injustices of systemic racism, militarism and ecological devastation are unsustainable. The United States has the wealth to end these interlocking injustices, but the political will is lacking. This is why we are organizing among those most impacted by these injustices to compel this country to take action. Fight poverty, not the poor!
Children and Youth Fact Sheet
In the U.S. today, 52.1 percent of children under the age of 18 are poor or low-income (38.5 million children). When more than half of our children do not know if they will have a place to sleep, nutritious meals, and safe communities, we are failing our families and compromising the future of this country. It does not need to be this way. We have abundant resources for our children.
Defund Militarism Fact Sheets
Militarism and violence are the hallmarks of U.S. policy at home and abroad. From war to mass incarceration and beyond, these policies amplify poverty, racism and environmental degradation. They can and must change.
State Fact Sheets (2020)
Fifty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many other leaders launched a Poor People’s Campaign to tackle the pervasive problems of systemic racism, poverty, and militarism. By many measures, these interrelated problems are worse today than they were back in 1968. And if you add in climate change and ecological devastation, the urgency is even greater. Learn more about the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, militarism/the war economy, ecological devastation, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism in your state:
Child Well-Being Fact Sheets
In the US today, 52.1% of children (38.5 million children) are poor or low-income. When more than half of our children do not know if they will have a place to sleep, nutritious meals, or safe communities, we are failing our families and compromising the future of this country. Learn more about child well-being in your state:
State Fact Sheets (2018)
* These resources draw on the most comprehensive and current publicly available data through May 2023. Where possible, data is disaggregated to reflect the complex reality of the interrelated injustices contained in this document. Unfortunately, there are significant gaps in racial, ethnic and other demographic data, reflecting gaps in data collection and statistical methodologies, which the Poor People’s Campaign cannot control. We continue to push for improvements to fill these gaps.