Beyond Income Alone: Multidimensional Deprivation in the United States

This chapter presents a national-level portrait of multidimensional deprivation in the United States. Data from the 2008–2023 American Community Survey (ACS) are used to trace trends in the Multidimensional Deprivation Index (MDI) as well as the incidence and intensity of deprivation across a period marked by major economic and public health disruptions (e.g., the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic). In 2023, an estimated 26.52 million individuals (i.e., 8.15 percent of the U.S. population) were found to be multidimensionally deprived, while an additional 40.71 million individuals (12.5 percent) were identified as vulnerable to multidimensional deprivation. Together, these groups accounted for slightly more than one in five U.S. residents. To better understand the structure of deprivation, trends in MDI dimensions and indicators are disaggregated to identify hardships related to economic security, education, health, and housing. Although multidimensional deprivation in the United States has generally declined since 2010, the persistence of vulnerability and the pandemic-era resurgence of multidimensional deprivation suggest a continued fragility of well-being for a substantial share of the population.