How much does it take to get by in your neighborhood?
In 2021 the federal poverty line was $12,880 for one person, $17,420 for 2 people, $21,960 for three people, $26,500 for four people, and $31,040 for five people.
Is that a sufficient amount to cover all of your expenses for one year?
For decades the federal poverty line has failed to keep up with increases in median income. When it was developed more than sixty years ago, the federal poverty line reflected consumption patterns from the mid-1950s. Since that time our national consumption patterns and the relative costs of many essential items, such as housing and health care, have increased dramatically. Furthermore, the poverty line never captured regional differences in the costs of living. As a result, official estimates of the number of people living in poverty severly undercount the number of people who do not have enough income to get by.
The Shared Humanity Project has developed income thresholds that consider local costs of living and more accurately reflect current consumption patterns. Our National Poverty Plan Standards (NPPS) are based on 50% of local median income, adjusted for household size.
*Hover over a state in the map below to discover how many people in that state fall below the NPPS.
*Click on the state to access a downloadable file that contains county-specific thresholds that answer the question: How much does it take to get by in your neighborhood?
Darker states have higher numbers of people living below NPPS.
Visit The National Plan to End Poverty for more information about our income thresholds, an interactive database that includes a wealth of demographic and economic information, and a comprehensive guide to actions that you can take to enhance the ecnomic stability of your neighbors and community.