31% of Black children live in poverty.
Posted by The Michael Berry Show, Checked
- Sources
- 4 contradict2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The Michael Berry ShowAug 18, 2026
The 31% figure matches a 2021 national statement and a Pennsylvania state figure for 2023–2024, not the current national record. The 2025 Census data show a Black official poverty rate of 17.3% and a child poverty rate of 13.4% overall, so a national Black child rate of 31% is roughly double what the record supports.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… I just encountered the dogs down in the plastic. I'm very upset about this, Madam Speaker. I think it's so unfair that I have to deal with dogs here in this plastic. I'm very, very upset, and I know that it has affected my blood pressure. 31% of black children live in poverty compared to 11% of white children. The national average is 18%, which suggests the percentage of black children living in poverty is more than a hundred and 50%. I will go and take Trump out tonight. I love electric school buses. …
The Michael Berry Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. The Census Bureau's 2025 report puts the official child poverty rate at a historic low of 13.4%, and the official Black poverty rate at 17.3%, so a national Black child rate of 31% is roughly double the overall Black rate and far above the child average.[1][2][5][6]
Context. The 31% Black child figure appears in a 2021 Congressional Record statement that also includes the 18% national average, which is an older national figure.[3]
Context. A Pennsylvania state report for 2023–2024 found that about 31% of Black or African American children in Pennsylvania lived in poverty, a state-level figure rather than a national one.[4]
Context. Under the supplemental poverty measure, the Black child poverty rate was 22% in 2025 and 8.1% in 2021, which is a different measure from the official rate the claim uses.[5]
Sources
6 sources: 4 primary, 2 not rated
- 1Poverty in the United States: 2025 - Census.govcensus.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 2Income, Poverty and Health Insurance: 2025cdn.www.census.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 3Congressional Record, Volume 167 Issue 130 (Monday, July 26, 2021)govinfo.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 4New Census Data Show Little Change in Poverty and Health ...porh.psu.edu · primary source · cited for: context
- 5Black Poverty Rate Declines, But Huge Racial Gap Remainsjbhe.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, context
- 6New Census Data Shows Federal Policy Can Reduce Child Poverty ...childrenshealthwatch.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post