Figure 1

90 percent of federal welfare spending is not counted in the Official Poverty Measure

Major federal welfare programs counted (blue) and not counted (red) as income in the Official Poverty Measure, FYs 2000–2025, in billions (in Constant FY 2025 dollars)

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Source: Office of Management and Budget, "Historical Tables," Table 8.6, 8.8, 10.1, and 12.3
OMB's budget data did not delineate between cash and noncash spending. Since noncash TANF spending comprises more than 70 percent of states' use of TANF funds, the true amount of TANF spending counted in OPM is likely much smaller.