evidence: One of the primary goals of the payments was to alleviate the economic hardship Americans faced due to the pandemic — especially for lower-income Americans, who were more likely to have been affected financially. Data from household surveys published by the U.S. Census Bureau show the reach of those payments to such households. Overall, the stimulus payments reached an estimated 85 percent of U.S. households. The share of households that received a payment was higher for lower- and middle-income households and gradually declined for those earning more than $75,000 a year — the income threshold at which the payments began to phase out for single individuals. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, about 92 percent of households earning less than $75,000 received the first Economic Impact Payment, compared to only 50 percent of households earning over $150,000. That pattern was relatively consistent across all three rounds of stimulus checks.