Understanding the U

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Understanding the U.S. poverty line

The following table shows the U.S. poverty thresholds for 2015 by size of family and number of related children under the age of 18. All figures are in dollars. For example, a family with two adults and three children is considered to be living in poverty if the family’s income in 2015 is below $28,286.

Size of Family Unit	Related Children under 18 Years
	None	One	Two	Three	Four	Five
One person (unrelated individual)
Under 65 years	12,331
65 years and over	11,367
Two persons
Households under 65 years	15,871	16,337
Households 65 years and over	14,326	16,275
Three persons	18,540	19,078	19,096
Four persons	24,447	24,847	24,036	24,120
Five persons	29,482	29,911	28,995	28,286	27,853
Six persons	33,909	34,044	33,342	32,670	31,670	31,078
Seven persons	39,017	39,260	38,421	37,835	36,745	35,473
Eight persons	43,637	44,023	43,230	42,536	41,551	40,300
Nine persons or more	52,493	52,747	52,046	51,457	50,490	49,159

Source: “Poverty Thresholds by Size of Family and Number of Children, 2015,” United States Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshld/.

Deborah and Carlos are married, under the age of 65, and have four children under the age of 18. Carlos works full time and earns $18,000, while Deborah works part time and earns $9,000. Thus, in total, their family income is $27,000. Are Carlos and Deborah living in poverty?

Yes

No

Suppose that Carlos divorces Deborah and leaves the family without paying alimony or child support. Deborah must now support her four children alone, so she begins working full time and earns a total of $15,000. Are Deborah and her children living in poverty?

Yes

No

Again, consider Deborah, a single mother with four children under 18 who earns an annual income of $15,000. Suppose that Deborah qualifies for a welfare program for single mothers that provides her with $5,000 in food stamps. After receiving welfare, is Deborah’s family living in poverty?

Yes

No