American Rescue Plan Fact Sheet: Impact on Massachusetts

by Joseph Robinette Biden

The American Rescue Plan: Impacts on Massachusetts

The Need for Action in Massachusetts

The pandemic and the associated economic crisis have had a severe impact on Massachusetts. The need for action is clear:

• Since the pandemic began, more than 568,979 people have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 16,293 people have died.
• The unemployment rate is 8.4%, up from 2.8% before the pandemic.
• Since February 2020, more than 204,033 fewer people are employed.
• 337,000 adults – 7% of all adults in the state – report not having enough food to eat. This includes 185,000 adults living with children, or 12% of all adults living with children, who report that the children in their household do not have enough to eat.
• An estimated 284,000 renters or 17% of renters are not caught up on rent.
• An estimated 1,406,000 adults or 28% of all adults statewide report having difficulty covering normal household expenses.

The Effect of the American Rescue Plan on Massachusetts

President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will provide Massachusetts with:

• $5.3 billion in state fiscal relief
• $2.6 billion in local fiscal relief
• More than $1.897 billion in relief for K-12 schools
• Economic impact payments of up to $1,400 per person (above the $600 per person provided in December) for more than 3,925,800 adults and 1,331,400 children. This is 78% of all adults in the state and 73% of all children in the state.
• Additional relief of up to $1,600 per child through the Child Tax Credit to the families of 1,105,00 children, lifting 55,000 children out of poverty
• Additional relief of up to nearly $1,000 through the Earned Income Tax Credit to 294,000 childless workers, including many in frontline jobs
• Marketplace health insurance premiums that are $1,011 lower per month for a 60-year old couple earning $75,000 per year