The U.S. Census Bureau last week released its annual state-level data snapshot on poverty and health.
In 2022, Oklahoma had a poverty rate of 15.7% compared to the national poverty rate of 11.5%, leaving the state with the 8th highest poverty rate in the country. This ranking is unchanged from the previous year.
Additionally, 1 in 5 Oklahoma children were living at or below the federal poverty level in 2022. This comes as child poverty in the U.S. has more than doubled in a year, following the expiration of the expanded child tax credit.
However, the data also show the state has seen improvements in health insurance uninsured rates, as Oklahoma had one of the largest increases in health care coverage in the country last year following Medicaid expansion.