For statistical purposes (e.g., counting the poor population), the United States Census Bureau uses a set of annual income levels, the poverty thresholds, slightly different than the federal poverty guidelines. As with the poverty guidelines, they represent a federal government estimate of the point below which a household of a given size has cash income insufficient to meet minimal food and other basic needs.

They were developed in the 1960s, based largely on estimates of the minimal cost of food needs, to measure changes in the poor population. The thresholds form the basis for calculating the poverty guidelines, and, like them, differ by household size and are adjusted annually for overall inflation. They do not include different levels for Alaska and Hawaii; they do include separate levels for small elderly households.

[edit] See also

• Poverty threshold
• Poverty line in the United States, a slightly different threshold that is set by the US Department of Health and Human Services and used to determine eligibility for government assistance

[edit] References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the Congressional Research Service document "Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition" by Jasper Womach.