- by Jad Jadderson
The Census Buearu has rolled out a new experinmental method to calculate poverty. It takes into account more than just spending on food – including items like child care, out-of-pocket medical expenses, taxes, and rent. Using those new figures, the number of people below the poverty line in the United States has increased by over 5%, to a rate of 16% nationally. The poverty rate has been set at an annual income of $24,343 for a family of four. As a result of factoring in government assistance programs like food stamps and the earned-income tax credit, 3.2 million children fell off of poverty roles – as well as 800,000 African Americans. These figures accurately reflect what the goal of such antipoverty programs are: to get people above the poverty line. Perhaps as many as 11 million people in all were lifted above the poverty line because of these expanded government assistance programs, and being accurately counted as such.
The Census Buearu has rolled out a new experinmental method to calculate poverty. It takes into account more than just spending on food – including items like child care, out-of-pocket medical expenses, taxes, and rent. Using those new figures, the number of people below the poverty line in the United States has increased by over 5%, to a rate of 16% nationally. The poverty rate has been set at an annual income of $24,343 for a family of four. As a result of factoring in government assistance programs like food stamps and the earned-income tax credit, 3.2 million children fell off of poverty roles – as well as 800,000 African Americans. These figures accurately reflect what the goal of such antipoverty programs are: to get people above the poverty line. Perhaps as many as 11 million people in all were lifted above the poverty line because of these expanded government assistance programs, and being accurately counted as such.
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