Understanding the U.S. poverty line The following table shows the U.S. poverty thresholds for 2011 by...

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Understanding the U.S. poverty line The following table shows the U.S. poverty thresholds for 2011 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 2011 is below $26,844. Size of Family Unit One person (unrelated individual) Under 65 years 65 years and over Two persons Households under 65 years Households 65 years and over Three persons Four persons Five persons Six persons Seven persons Eight persons Nine persons or more None 11,702 10,788 Related Children under 18 Years One Two Three Four 15,063 15,504 13,596 15,446 17,595 18,106 18,123 23,201 23,581 22,811 22,891 Five 27,979 28,386 27,517 26,844 26,434 32,181 32,309 31,643 31,005 30,056 29,494 37,029 37,260 36,463 35,907 34,872 33,665 41,414 41,779 41,027 40,368 39,433 38,247 49,818 50,059 49,393 48,835 47,917 46,654 Source: "Poverty Thresholds by Size of Family and Number of Children, 2011," United States Census Bureau, last modified September 12, 2012, accessed September 24, 2012, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshid/. Alyssa and Tim are married, under the age of 65, and have three children under the age of 18. Tim works full time and earns $19,000, while Alyssa works part time and earns $9,000. Thus, in total, their family income is $28,000. Are Tim and Alyssa living in poverty? Yes No Suppose that Tim divorces Alyssa and leaves the family without paying alimony or child support. Alyssa must now support her three children alone, so i she begins working full time and eams a total of $18,000. Are Alyssa and her children living in poverty? Yes No Again, consider Alyssa, a single mother with three children under 18 who earns an annual income of $18,000. Suppose that Alyssa qualifies for a welfare program for single parents that provides her with $600 cash for each child (a total of $1,800, since Alyssa has three children). After receiving welfare, is Alyssa's family living in poverty? Yes No Understanding the U.S. poverty line The following table shows the U.S. poverty thresholds for 2011 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 2011 is below $26,844. Size of Family Unit One person (unrelated individual) Under 65 years 65 years and over Two persons Households under 65 years Households 65 years and over Three persons Four persons Five persons Six persons Seven persons Eight persons Nine persons or more None 11,702 10,788 Related Children under 18 Years One Two Three Four 15,063 15,504 13,596 15,446 17,595 18,106 18,123 23,201 23,581 22,811 22,891 Five 27,979 28,386 27,517 26,844 26,434 32,181 32,309 31,643 31,005 30,056 29,494 37,029 37,260 36,463 35,907 34,872 33,665 41,414 41,779 41,027 40,368 39,433 38,247 49,818 50,059 49,393 48,835 47,917 46,654 Source: "Poverty Thresholds by Size of Family and Number of Children, 2011," United States Census Bureau, last modified September 12, 2012, accessed September 24, 2012, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshid/. Alyssa and Tim are married, under the age of 65, and have three children under the age of 18. Tim works full time and earns $19,000, while Alyssa works part time and earns $9,000. Thus, in total, their family income is $28,000. Are Tim and Alyssa living in poverty? Yes No Suppose that Tim divorces Alyssa and leaves the family without paying alimony or child support. Alyssa must now support her three children alone, so i she begins working full time and eams a total of $18,000. Are Alyssa and her children living in poverty? Yes No Again, consider Alyssa, a single mother with three children under 18 who earns an annual income of $18,000. Suppose that Alyssa qualifies for a welfare program for single parents that provides her with $600 cash for each child (a total of $1,800, since Alyssa has three children). After receiving welfare, is Alyssa's family living in poverty? Yes No

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