State of the Safety Net: New Data on Children’s Access to Means-Tested Benefit Programs, State by State

State of the Safety Net: New Data on Children’s Access to Means-Tested Benefit Programs, State by State

June 04, 2026

Understanding who is eligible for key safety net programs, who participates, and where gaps exist is crucial for informing effective safety net strategies for young children. However, it has been difficult or impossible to find easy-to-access information about safety net eligibility and participation among children.  To fill this gap, the Urban Institute’s State of the Safety Net Initiative has created a webtool that provides, all in one place, eligibility and participation estimates for key safety net programs serving children, including TANF, SNAP, WIC, child care subsidies, public and subsidized housing, LIHEAP, the refundable child tax credit, and the earned income tax credit. The tool shows information for the nation as a whole and for the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and by different characteristics, such as age.

In this webinar, The Urban Institute will introduce the tool, demonstrate how to use it to explore safety net eligibility and participation among children across the US, and welcome discussion and questions for how the initiative can support efforts to improve outcomes for young children.

 

Webtool publicly available at urban.org/StateOfTheSafetyNet

Full webtool demo available at https://www.loom.com/share/5bbf3ce066394d369db0686f53235007

The State of the Safety Net Webtool SLIDES

 

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