What is poverty?

Official U.S. poverty counts should be thought of as statistical measures rather than valid indicators of economic well-being. The counts are based on a poverty line that was developed more than 50 years ago. This line does not reflect changes in current spending patterns nor does it account for geographic differences in costs of living. As a result, using the federal poverty line underestimates the number of people in this country who do not have enough to get by on their own.

The Shared Humanity Project has calculated new relative income standards that are based on 50% of median income for every county in the country. These locally-based income standards reflect the resources required to live independently within a community. We estimate that nearly 82 million Americans fall below that level. Poverty and the lack of economic opportunity in this country have reached epidemic proportions, and it is time we address this in a way that will solve it.

While we all are aware that poverty exists, we fail to recognize the firsthand circumstances of those who are suffering through it. Every single day, those 82 million Americans are forced to be reliant on systems to meet their basic needs, whether than be their next meal, a stable home, or future employment. So, what do we really know about their lived experiences?

What does poverty look like?

Housing

For the 10.8 million working class families, there is an estimated 7 million home gap that prevents them from achieving stability. - Fatima Hussein, “Yellen announces efforts to boost the housing supply as high prices create a crunch,” AP News

70% of those who are low-income spend more than half of their paychecks on rent. - https://nlihc.org/explore-issues/why-we-care/problem

Health

295,000 individuals annually lose their life due to the long-term effects surrounding poverty. - https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/National-Fact-Sheet-Summary.pdf

Employment

The 6.4 million working in 2022 still placed below the poverty line. - https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/working-poor/2022/

Education

When entering high school, children that are in low-income households are estimated to be five years behind those who are high-income. - https://www.kutestkids.com/blog/poverty-and-education-statistics-6e51e

Young adults who grew up as low-income are 5 times more likely to drop out of college. - https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/intergenerational-poverty-in-the-us-83scy

When it comes to low-income households, only 16% of children are able to qualify as proficient on achievement exams. - https://www.cato.org/study/education-workforce-development

Safety

In 2020, the most impoverished areas contained 700,000 more homicides than neighborhoods with higher incomes.

When it comes to police misconduct, 75% of cases occur in impoverished areas. - https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/intergenerational-poverty-in-the-us-83scy

Geography

More than 8 million of rural Americans live in poverty. - https://www.bridgespan.org/getmedia/4fff5677-cac6-40fb-8782-ca879b483483/Small-but-Tough_-Nonprofits-in-Rural-America.pdf

The poorest states in the United States have a range of 14-19% of people in poverty. - https://www.fcnl.org/updates/2024-09/top-10-poorest-states-us#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Census,%2C%20Texas%2C%20and%20New%20York.

Race

Basic Needs

47.4 million people currently live in food-insecure households. - https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics#insecure:~:text=47.4%20million%20people%20lived%20in%20food%2Dinsecure%20households.

• In their lifetime, 60% of Americans will live below the poverty line for at minimum a year.