Who the U.S. economic safety net leaves behind

The U.S. made remarkable strides in reducing poverty in recent decades, but one group was left behind — working-age adults who aren't raising children.

Why it matters: While key tax breaks and support programs lift a significant percentage of children, parents and older Americans out of poverty, they barely move the needle on this group, finds a striking series of papers from the Hamilton Project at Brookings released Wednesday.

State of play: One out of every two people in the U.S. who live in deep poverty — 50% below the poverty line — is a member of this...