The national average for child poverty is 18%.
Posted by The Michael Berry Show, Checked
- Sources
- 4 contradict1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 70%
The Michael Berry ShowAug 18, 2026
The claim that the current national child poverty rate is 18% is contradicted by 2024–2025 Census data showing 14.4% (2024) and 13.4% (2025) on the official measure, and 15.5% and 14.8% in the ACS.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… 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. I just love them for so many reasons, maybe because I went to school on a school bus. Hey, raise your hand if you went to school on a school bus, right? End of the world. Come on. …
The Michael Berry Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. The official child poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024 and fell to a record-low 13.4% in 2025, per the Census Bureau and CRS, well below 18%.[1][2][3]
Contradicts. The American Community Survey put the national child poverty rate at 15.5% in 2024 and 14.8% in 2025, also well below 18%.[4]
Context. The 18% national child poverty figure appears in an NCES report on 2018 data, which was the national average for that year and is not a current figure.[5]
Context. The claim is a faithful extraction of the passage's statement that 'the national average is 18%', so no added content is involved.
Sources
5 sources: 1 fact-checker, 4 primary
- 1Trump's Numbers, October 2026 Updatefactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2Transcript: Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in ...cdn.www.census.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 3Poverty in 2025 - Congress.govcongress.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 4Poverty Rates Decreased in 62 Areas for Children and 28 ...census.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 5[PDF] Characteristics of Children's Familiesnces.ed.gov · primary source · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- 11% of White children live in poverty.Can’t tell
- 31% of Black children live in poverty.False
- California has the highest poverty rate in the country, tied with Louisiana.Mixed
- The poverty rate is the lowest in history.Mixed
- The poverty rate in the United States has reached its lowest level in American history.Mixed