Poverty Income Statistics

The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of income thresholds, varying by family composition and size, to determine poverty rates. A family with an income below the threshold is considered to be in poverty. The Census Bureau reports poverty rates annually in its American Community Survey report.

Income Thresholds

According to the Census Bureau's 2007 thresholds, a single person with an income below $10,590 is considered to be in poverty. A family of four (two adults and two children) with an income below $21,027 is in poverty. The income thresholds range from one person to a family of nine.

Effects

According to the 2007 American Community Survey, released in August 2008, 13% of Americans were living below the poverty line.

Types

By ethnicity, rates varied. Whites and Asians had the lowest poverty rates, at 9 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively. Among African-Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians, poverty rates were much higher, with each group showing poverty rates around 25 percent.

Geography

New Hampshire had the nation's lowest poverty rate, at 7.1 percent. Mississippi had the highest, at 20.6%. Overall, poverty rates were higher in southern states, and lower in the northeast and western states.

Considerations

Although cost of living rates vary by region, the Census Bureau's income thresholds do not have any geographic variance. The bureau does update the thresholds for inflation, using Consumer Price Index data.

Resources

• American Community Survey Report, 2007