Defining the Federal Poverty Line

2017 Poverty Thresholds vs. 2017 Poverty Guidelines

Persons in Family/Household2017 Poverty Thresholds *2017 Poverty Guidelines
1
$12,752
$12,060
2
$16,414
$16,240
3
$19,173
$20,420
4
$25,283
$24,600
5
$30,490
$28,780
6
$35,069
$32,960
7
$40,351
$37,140
8
$45,129
$41,320

* Poverty thresholds are lower for households of 1 or 2 people 65 and older. The poverty thresholds are slightly altered for families with a related child under 18. ↑

Sources:

  1. U.S. Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html
  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation: https://aspe.hhs.gov/2017-poverty-guidelines

Distribution of Total Population by Federal Poverty Level, 2016

Percentage of Federal Poverty LevelUnder 100%100-199%200-399%400%+Total
Number of People
41,077,500
54,621,300
94,275,300
130,397,800
320,372,000
Percentage of Population
12.8%
17%
29.4%
40.7%

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/distribution-by-fpl

Historical Poverty Status of People over 65

YearNumber Below PovertyPercent Below Poverty
2016
4,568,000
9.3
2010
3,558,000
8.9
2005
3,603,000
10.1
2000
3,323,000
9.9
1995
3,310,000
10.5
1990
3,658,000
12.2
1985
3,456,000
12.6
1980
3,871,000
15.7
1975
3,317,000
15.3
1970
4,793,000
24.6

Source: United States Census Bureau, Historical Poverty Tables: People and Families, Table 3 https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-people.html