State Asset Development
Report Card
The State Asset Development Report Card (SADRC) is a groundbreaking tool that captures the most up-to-date data available on asset distribution and policy for each of the 50 states. The Report Card provides rich new data that has never before been available on a state-by-state basis. It considers 68 socioeconomic and policy measures to compare states on how assets are accumulated, distributed, and protected among their citizens.
Key findings of the State Asset Development Report Card include the following:
- In all but one state, asset poverty is greater than income poverty.
- Asset poverty varies significantly by race, gender, and geography.
- No state can yet claim the right blend of policies at sufficient scope scope and scale to eliminate asset poverty.
Given the increasing importance and power of states, the time is right to examine asset-based policies and to encourage bold action that will lead to strong asset outcomes for low-income people.
States face a unique opportunity to serve as leaders for a policy shift that could redefine poverty alleviation strategies in America. For the most part, policies designed to fight poverty focus solely on income. A growing body of evidence suggests that public policies must balance the importance of both income and assets to meaningfully address issues associated with poverty and self-sufficiency.
