There was a bit of good news at the end of September, when the Census Bureau released its 2025 poverty report. Last year, 34.5 million Americans lived in poverty, a rate of 10.2%. Although this was a historic low, the Census Bureau's supplemental poverty measure was slightly higher at 13.1%. The supplemental poverty measure includes refundable tax credits, noncash benefits like SNAP and housing subsidies, and Social Security earnings. A high SPM is concerning because this usually means the earnings of many working-class families are stretched thin due to expenses like child care or elder care. Another indicator of a high SPM is a higher cost of living, where rent and utilities swallow up net income.

In Ohio, where I live, the SPM is 8.1%, roughly four points below the official poverty rate. Statistically, this looks somewhat promising, but I constantly think about the many people struggling whose plight often goes unnoticed. For example, a person on SNAP could be standing in a grocery checkout line, exhausting all their benefits in the middle of the month. People who go to food banks or line up for assistance at holiday food drives are often in nice cars and not homeless but still need help feeding their families. Sometimes I have heard people share their struggles with store clerks as a way to release the anxiety they are feeling. During a recent Kroger run, I heard an older woman tell the self-checkout clerk about her enormous medical bills. She was able to pay for the food and items she needed that day, and the clerk, who was disabled, chatted with her about rising insurance costs. While they shared a laugh in the moment, she probably left the store wondering how much she would have left to spend on food the following week.

While teaching at Ohio State University's branch campus in Lima, I made poverty one of the themes of my English composition course several years ago. The poverty rate in Lima is disturbing, as the Census Bureau calculates it at 23.9%. The median household income is only $46,240, and I'm sure many of my students come from families that barely make ends meet. My current course theme focuses on Gen Z, but students sometimes open up about their hardships on the class discussion boards. I believe this is therapeutic for them as they navigate the pressures of college life while dealing with challenges at home. Many have shared that their parents are still trying to recover financially from the COVID-19 pandemic after enduring a period of unemployment. Others have talked about the impact of rising gas prices, which significantly affects them, as Lima is a commuter campus.

Although poverty isn't a specific topic in my Gen Z theme, I do touch on the importance of saving money in our "Gen Z and the Workplace" discussions. With many of my students remembering the pandemic's economic effects, some already have savings accounts. I explain how parents of my generation taught their children the importance of saving money using The Goldbergs' season six episode "RAD." In this episode, Barry, the oldest Goldberg son, gets engaged to his girlfriend, Lainey. They're "madly in love" but have no clue about how to manage finances. When Barry's grandfather gives them a $500 savings bond, he explains that it will grow to $2,000 with interest. But instead of putting the money away, Barry and Lainey blow it all on a power sports bike and an electric guitar. Barry's father, Murray, gives them a stern lecture on budgeting and later opens a savings account for his son. "RAD" provided an important practical life lesson through humor, and given the economic difficulties my students have seen or experienced, it resonated with them. The storyline also reminds me of what Proverbs 13:11 teaches: Wealth is successfully built over time.

Even as U.S. poverty rates decrease, reading the Census Bureau reports is never pleasant. People working hard to provide for their families should not have to battle to survive. Yet I am encouraged that my students are showing wisdom as they think about their financial futures.

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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