Income to Poverty Ratios, 2004

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Income to Poverty Ratios

Most people recognize that our official poverty rate is based on some peculiar assumptions. Those who have looked closely realize that it is nothing more than a statistical measure of how many people fall below certain income levels, but that those income levels bear no particular relationship to any reality.

But the official poverty measure does have a kernel of usefulness, if used judiciously: it does attempt to make some adjustment for family size. The adjustment factors, however, are rather out of step with the realities of 21st century America. (See America's Low-Cost Counties for some discussion of this. See also The Self-Sufficiency Standard Studies, and other Methodologies for Calculating a Bare-Bones Cost of Living.)

Income to Poverty Ratios, 2004 — How many of us live at incomes below various multiples of the Federal Poverty Guideline?
	Census Data, 2004: Number and Percentage of Each Age Group living in households with incomes below various multiples of the FPG						Federal Poverty Guideline multiples, 2006
Income Relative to Poverty Line	Percent of Americans	Number of Americans	Percent of Children Under age 5	Percent of Children 5 to 17	Percent of Adults 18-64	Percent of Adults 65+	Family of 1	Family of 2	Family of 3	Family of 4
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)
below 100%	12.7%	36,997,000	20.5%	16.8%	11.3%	9.8%	$9,800	$13,200	$16,600	$20,000
below 125%	17.1%	49,666,000	25.9%	21.8%	14.9%	16.5%	12,250	16,500	20,750	$25,000
below 150%	21.6%	62,849,000	31.7%	26.9%	18.5%	23.9%	14,700	19,800	24,900	$30,000
below 175%	26.6%	77,359,000	37.4%	32.3%	22.9%	31.3%	17,150	23,100	29,050	$35,000
below 185%	28.5%	82,849,000	39.6%	34.6%	24.4%	34.3%	18,130	24,420	30,710	$37,000
below 200%	31.2%	90,813,000	42.7%	37.9%	26.8%	37.9%	19,600	26,400	33,200	$40,000
below 250%	40.1%	116,512,000	51.8%	47.3%	34.8%	49.7%	24,500	33,000	41,500	$50,000
below 300%	48.5%	140,885,000	60.5%	56.1%	42.8%	59.3%	29,400	39,600	49,800	$60,000
source: Columns 1 through 5: tables linked from http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032005/pov/new01_000.htm

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