Poverty

There is no typical experience of being trans in the United States, and the trans community is diverse in both its demographics and its experiences. That said, research is consistent in finding that many trans people experience poverty and economic insecurity, and they do so at rates much higher than the general population. According to a 2019 analysis of federal data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 30% of trans people live in poverty, compared to 16% of cis heterosexual people in the United States.

This entry provides a U.S.-specific overview of how poverty is typically measured, rates of poverty among trans people, some of the many causes of trans people’s higher rates of economic insecurity, and questions that remain. While ...