The percentage of Michiganders currently living in poverty fell last year, thanks in large part to federal aid programs.

Michigan’s percentage of people living in poverty dipped to 8.8% in 2020, according to the latest update from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report uses Supplemental Poverty Measure data that focuses on the last three years, and shows a consistent downward trend since 2017. Analysis suggests that unemployment programs prevented more than 5 million people from becoming impoverished.

Without COVID stimulus checks, the poverty rate would have been higher, around 12.7%.