WHAT ARE THE STATISTICS AND FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW?

WHAT IS POVERTY?

Poverty is complex. It is more than a lack of sufficient income to provide for the basic necessities of nutritious food, safe and stable housing, access to health (paying for medications and dentists), and completion of education and readying for employment. Poverty impacts an individual’s choices, opportunities, and hopes for a better future. All of which impact their physical and emotional well-being.

The official poverty measure (OPM) uses a set of threshold that are updated annually to reflect changes in cost of living. Based of cost of minimum food diet multiplied by three.

There are 48 different thresholds, varying by family size and composition. Focus on pre-tax money income , including wages, salaries, Social Security benefits, and cash assistance. Non-cash like food stamps are not included.

A household is considered living in poverty if its income is below 50% of medium household incomes;
The median household income is where half of the population live below and half the population live above;
OPM takes into consideration family size.