Poverty
Percent of people living in families with total income below the official poverty threshold.
Most of the data are from the U.S. Census Bureau Historical Poverty Tables for People. The Census Bureau’s estimates are based on the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
Poverty estimates for some populations and years are produced by the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality (CPI), based on microdata from the CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (King et al., 2010). The populations for which estimates are produced by CPI are some breakdowns by age (Age 18 to 24, Age 25 to 34, Age 35 to 44, Age 45 to 54, Age 55 to 64) and all breakdowns by education (Less than High School Degree, High School Degree, Some College, and Bachelor’s degree or More).
Reference
King, Miriam, Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Sarah Flood, Katie Genadek, Matthew B. Schroeder, Brandon Trampe, and Rebecca Vick. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey: Version 3.0. [Machine-readable database]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2010.
To classify people as poor, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. If a family's total income is below the poverty threshold relevant to that family, then every individual in the family is classified as poor. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes as its measure of income, and does not include capital gains or the monetary value of noncash benefits such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps. For more information, see the Census Bureau’s poverty definitions.
In 2002, there were substantial changes in the racial categories used by the Census Bureau. Time series by race that include data from both racial classifications should be interpreted with care. More details on the changes in racial categories.
Percent of people living in families with total income below 200 percent of the official poverty threshold.
U.S. Census Bureau Historical Poverty Tables for People. The Census Bureau’s estimates are based on the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
To classify people as poor, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. If a family's total income is below the poverty threshold relevant to that family, then every individual in the family is classified as poor. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes as its measure of income, and does not include capital gains or the monetary value of noncash benefits such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps. For more information, see the Census Bureau’s poverty definitions.
Percent of people living in families with total income below 75 percent of the official poverty threshold.
U.S. Census Bureau Historical Poverty Tables for People. The Census Bureau’s estimates are based on the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
To classify people as poor, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. If a family's total income is below the poverty threshold relevant to that family, then every individual in the family is classified as poor. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes as its measure of income, and does not include capital gains or the monetary value of noncash benefits such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps. For more information, see the Census Bureau’s poverty definitions.
Percent of families with total income below the official poverty threshold.
U.S. Census Bureau Historical Poverty Tables for Families. The Census Bureau’s estimates are based on the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
To classify people as poor, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. If a family's total income is below the poverty threshold relevant to that family, then every individual in the family is classified as poor. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes as its measure of income, and does not include capital gains or the monetary value of noncash benefits such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps. For more information, see the Census Bureau’s poverty definitions.
The Current Population Survey defines a family as a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people (including related subfamily members) are considered as members of one family. Beginning with the 1980 Current Population Survey, unrelated subfamilies (referred to in the past as secondary families) are no longer included in the count of families, nor are the members of unrelated subfamilies included in the count of family members.
In 2002, there were substantial changes in the racial categories used by the Census Bureau. Time series by race that include data from both racial classifications should be interpreted with care. More details on the changes in racial categories.
Percent of poor people age16 and over who are employed.
U.S. Census Bureau Historical Poverty Tables for People. The Census Bureau’s estimates are based on the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
To classify people as poor, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. If a family's total income is below the poverty threshold relevant to that family, then every individual in the family is classified as poor. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes as its measure of income, and does not include capital gains or the monetary value of noncash benefits such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps. For more information, see the Census Bureau’s poverty definitions.
Percent of poor people age16 and over who are employed year-round full-time.
U.S. Census Bureau Historical Poverty Tables for People. The Census Bureau’s estimates are based on the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
To classify people as poor, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. If a family's total income is below the poverty threshold relevant to that family, then every individual in the family is classified as poor. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes as its measure of income, and does not include capital gains or the monetary value of noncash benefits such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps. For more information, see the Census Bureau’s poverty definitions.
A poverty rate whose computation takes into account tax payments, noncash government transfers, geographic variation in the cost of living, and other important factors not contemplated in the computation of the Official Poverty Rate.
U.S. Census Bureau, Supplemental Poverty Measure.
The Official Poverty Rate was originally developed as a temporary measure, but with only a few minor changes it has been used as the country’s official poverty measure since it was introduced in 1969. The official measure estimates poverty rates by comparing a family’s or individual’s before-tax cash income to a set of poverty thresholds that vary by family size and composition, and the householder’s age. The thresholds were originally set at three times the cost of a minimum food diet in 1963, and have been updated annually using the Consumer Price Index.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure is a more complex statistic incorporating additional items such as noncash benefits, tax payments and credits, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and work expenses in the computation of family income. Thresholds used in the new measure are derived from expenditure data on basic necessities (food, shelter, clothing, and utilities), and are adjusted for geographic differences in the cost of housing. These thresholds are updated using a five-year moving average of expenditures on basic necessities.
In 2002, there were substantial changes in the racial categories used by the Census Bureau. Time series by race that include data from both racial classifications should be interpreted with care. More details on the changes in racial categories.
Historical series combining the official estimates of the Supplemental Poverty Measure produced by the Census Bureau for years 2009 and later with estimates for earlier years produced by researchers from the Columbia Population Research Center, using a methodology similar to that used by the Census Bureau.
Fox et al. (2013). Data provided by the authors to the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) is a poverty rate whose computation takes into account taxes, transfers, and other factors not reflected in the Official Poverty Rate. The SPM has been computed by the U.S. Census Bureau starting in 2009; much of the data needed to produce it is not available for earlier years. Researchers from the Columbia Population Research Center (CPRC) used data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey (March CPS) and the Consumer Expenditure Survey to produce estimates of the SPM for years prior to 2009. They used a methodology similar to that used by the Census in producing their official SPM estimates, but with adjustments to account for differences in the data available in earlier years.
See also Supplemental Poverty Measure – Anchored, which also provides estimates of the SPM that go back further in time than the Census Bureau’s official estimates, but is produced using a different approach.
For more information on the historical and anchored supplemental poverty measures, see the following CPRC working papers:
Historical series for the Supplemental Poverty Measure that is produced using the SPM thresholds for 2012 for all years, adjusted for inflation for years prior to 2012.
Wimer et al. (2013). Data provided by the authors to the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) is a poverty rate whose computation takes into account taxes, transfers, and other factors not reflected in the Official Poverty Rate. The SPM has been computed by the U.S. Census Bureau starting in 2009; much of the data needed to produce it is not available for earlier years. Researchers from the Columbia Population Research Center (CPRC) produced estimates of the SPM going back to 1967 by adjusting the 2012 SPM thresholds for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers Research Series (CPI-U-RS).
See also Supplemental Poverty Measure – Historical, which also provides estimates of the SPM that go further back in time than the Census Bureau’s official estimates, but is produced using a different methodological approach.
For more information, see the following papers:
Percent of people living in poor families, based on a definition of poverty proposed by the National Academy of Sciences as an alternative to the official definition. This alternative definition of poverty subtracts medical out-of-pocket expenses from family income (“MSI”), adjusts the poverty thresholds for geographic differences in the cost of living (“GA”), and adjusts for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI”).
For the official poverty rate, see Official Poverty Rate.
Percent of people living in poor families, based on a definition of poverty proposed by the National Academy of Sciences as an alternative to the official definition. This alternative definition of poverty includes medical out-of-pocket expenses in the poverty thresholds (“MIT”), adjusts the poverty thresholds for geographic differences in the cost of living (“GA”), and adjusts for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI”).
For the official poverty rate, see Official Poverty Rate.