Event Summary

On September 10, AEI’s Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility gathered leading experts to analyze the new poverty and economic numbers from the US Census Bureau for 2023.

AEI’s Kevin Corinth began by summarizing the data’s main findings. Median household income rose, and the official poverty measure (OPM) showed that poverty declined while the supplemental poverty measure (SPM) showed a slight increase.

Each panelist then gave their initial reactions. The Cato Institute’s Vanessa Brown Calder focused on the gender pay gap, noting that it declined for the first time since 2003. AEI’s Michael R. Strain described how 2023 marks a year of recovery and improvement, made possible by the Federal Reserve’s successful efforts to get inflation under control without negatively impacting the labor market. Bradley Hardy, a professor at Georgetown University, spoke about the differences in measurement between the OPM and the SPM while also mentioning the differences in poverty when it comes to educational levels. And AEI’s Scott Winship examined the evidence behind the consistent decline in consumption poverty.

The panel also discussed predictions for 2024 and specific policy implications for housing and the child tax credit, weighing the pros and cons of redistribution policies. The event concluded with a Q&A.

Event Description

On September 10, the United States Census Bureau will release what is arguably 2024’s most important economic data. We will learn for the first time whether families’ economic well-being improved in 2023: Did wages outpace inflation and deliver real income gains for middle-class families? Did a strong labor market help families escape poverty? Did income gaps by race shrink?

Join us for a lunchtime conversation on the new census data, where the nation’s leading experts will assess the economy’s performance and determine what it means for American families’ prosperity.

Submit questions to [email protected] or on Twitter with #AEICensusNumbers.

Agenda

11:45 a.m.
Registration and boxed lunch available

12:00 p.m.
Introduction:
Kevin Corinth, Deputy Director, Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility, American Enterprise Institute

12:05 p.m.
Highlights of the New Census Data

Presenter:
Kevin Corinth, Deputy Director, Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility, American Enterprise Institute

12:15 p.m.
Panel Discussion

Panelists:
Vanessa Brown Calder, Director, Opportunity and Family Policy Studies, Cato Institute
Bradley Hardy, Associate Professor, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
Michael R. Strain, Director, Economic Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Scott Winship, Director, Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility, American Enterprise Institute

Moderator:
Kevin Corinth, Deputy Director, Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility, American Enterprise Institute

1:15 p.m.
Q&A

1:30 p.m.
Adjournment

Related Content

Measuring Poverty: The New Census Estimates and the Future of Poverty Measurement
Kevin Corinth et al. | AEI event | September 12, 2023