In July 2025, President Trump and congressional Republicans enacted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), making historically deep cuts to poverty–reducing programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid—all to pay for massive new tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. OBBBA has already worsened economic circumstances for many women and their families; since July 2025, as grocery prices have continued to rise, over five million people have lost the SNAP benefits they need to put food on the table. But the worst is yet to come: Many OBBBA provisions that reduce critical supports for families start to take effect in 2026, threatening to push more people into poverty and worsen longstanding inequities. 

2025 data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals persistently high rates of poverty for individuals and families across the country. Women and children disproportionately face poverty and hardship, with much higher rates for disabled women, Black and Latina women, women born outside of the United States, and families with children headed by single mothers. The impacts of OBBBA are not fully reflected in the 2025 data because the bill was enacted midyear, with many provisions taking effect later in 2025, and other changes scheduled for 2026 and beyond.  

In addition, data shows that nearly two in five working-age women (ages 16–64) who lived below the poverty threshold under the supplemental poverty measure (SPM) worked for pay in 2025. This underscores that for many women—who are overrepresented in low-paying jobs—employment alone was not enough to escape poverty. Data further shows that many women in poverty could not engage in paid work due to caregiving responsibilities, illness, and/or disability. 

Findings from this analysis make clear that too many women, children, and families in the United States experience extreme economic hardship. And that is why policymakers should undo OBBBA’s devastating cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, and instead make long-term public investments in these programs and other critical supports like child care assistance, housing assistance, and refundable tax credits.  

This fact sheet presents poverty estimates in 2025 and prior years using the supplemental poverty measure (SPM), which accounts for both cash and non-cash benefits as well as necessary expenses. The 2025 poverty estimates using the official poverty measure (OPM) are available in the appendix.