Poverty+in+the+United+States

=Poverty in the United States = According to the Census Bureau, individuals, families, or households are considered to be living in poverty if their total incomes fall below designated levels:


 * Poverty Threshold **
 * a.k.a. poverty level
 * The lowest income that a family or household of a certain size or composition needs to maintain a basic standard of living
 * Official method of determining the poverty threshold was established by the Social Security Administration (SSA)
 * Thresholds are based on economical food plans
 * A study of food consumption found that the average family of three or more spent approximately one third of its after-tax income on food
 * Poverty thresholds are adjusted annually based on changes in the consumer price index (CPI)

** Poverty Rate ** 
 * The percentage of individuals or families in the total population that are living in poverty