PROJECTKids' Share: Analyzing Federal Expenditures on Children

Kid's Share 2021 report coverThis series looks comprehensively at trends in federal and state spending and tax expenditures on children—the kids’ share of public spending.

Children can’t vote and they can’t lobby for public resources, but their well-being and development affect the future economic and social health of the country. Children also can’t work their way out of poverty, so the government has a special calling to protect them. Public investments are used to educate children; promote their health, safety, and well-being; ensure their basic needs are met; and help protect their families from financial hardship. These investments come in the form of direct spending on programs that serve kids and through tax benefits that offer their families financial assistance.

Determining how government spends money, and who benefits, reveals our priorities. This series seeks to inform a national conversation about how best to invest the country's resources by examining federal and state expenditures on children in the past and projected into the future. The series includes special reports and briefs, the annual Kids’ Share chartbooks, web features and fact sheets, blog posts, events, and data appendixes.

Featured Content

Kids' Share 2023: Report on Federal Expenditures on Children through 2022 and Future Projections
(November 2023)
To inform policymakers, children’s advocates, and the general public about how public funds are spent on children (birth through age 18), this 17th edition of the annual Kids’ Share report provides a new analysis of federal expenditures on children from 1960 to 2022. It also offers an updated view of public expenditures made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Projections of federal expenditures on children through 2033 give a sense of how budget priorities are scheduled to unfold over the longer term under current law.

The Return on Investing in Children
(September 2023)
The federal government invests more than $500 billion annually in children through direct cash payments, including tax credits, and in-kind goods such as childcare, education, food subsidies, and healthcare coverage. This represents about 10 percent of the federal budget. Research shows these investments, which are often used to combat poverty, can have large short- and long-term payoffs for the children receiving the benefits and society at large. Though the payoff of any one investment can be difficult to assess, strong evidence suggests that investments that reduce poverty and direct resources at very young children have particularly high returns.

What’s at Stake as Public Spending on Kids Declines?
(September 2023)
Public spending on children—including the child tax credit—benefits kids and families in the immediate term and can have a long-term payoff for the federal government and society.

Kids’ Share 2022: Report on Federal Expenditures on Children through 2021 and Future Projections
(September 2022)
Public spending on children represents an effort to invest in the nation’s future. To inform policymakers, children’s advocates, and the general public about how public funds are spent  on children, this 16th edition of the annual Kids’ Share report provides an updated analysis of federal expenditures on children from 1960 to 2021. It also offers an updated view of public expenditures made in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid High Inflation and Rising Interest Rates, the Federal Government Will Soon Spend More on Interest Payments than Kids
(September 2022)
High inflation, rising interest rates, and falling investments in children mean the federal government is projected to spend more on interest payments on the national debt than children by 2024.

The Pandemic Response Led to an Unprecedented Increase in Federal Spending on Children
(January 2022)
Federal pandemic relief led to an unprecedented increase in spending on children, but the gains will not be sustained without further legislation.

Six Charts about Federal Spending on Children during the Pandemic
(December 2021)
These six charts show how the nation’s response to the pandemic led to dramatic spending increases for children and improved the well-being of kids and their families—if only temporarily.

Public Spending on Children in New Jersey: An Analysis from the Urban Institute’s State-by-State Spending on Kids Dataset
(April 2021)
This brief takes a comprehensive look at spending on children from birth through age 18 in New Jersey using the Urban Institute’s new State-by-State Spending on Kids Dataset.

How Much Does the Federal Government Spend on Programs Benefiting Children?
(August 2020)
This fact sheet highlights selected findings from Kids’ Share 2020. It shows that tax provisions and health programs account for most federal spending on children. The child tax credit was the largest single program and Medicaid was the second-largest program in terms of spending on children in 2019.

Special Reports and Briefs

Annual Kids’ Share Chartbooks

Web Features and Fact Sheets

Blog Posts

Events

Data Appendixes
Research Areas Children and youth
Tags Kids in context Spending on children Children and youth