Far fewer Americans are getting cash benefits through TANF

After the U.S. created Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, the number of Americans enrolled in the cash welfare program fell sharply. The number then gradually declined – before a slight rebound in recent years.

Line chart showing that both the number of people served by TANF fell from 12.5 million in 1996 to 2.8 million in 2023.
Chart: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Source: University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Get the data Embed Download image Created with Datawrapper