What is the 2024 US Poverty Line? (Federal Poverty Line)

This article has been updated with information on the U.S. federal poverty line income levels for 2023 and 2024. I keep a close watch on all of my expenses and take a bit of pride in how low I’ve been able to drive them. Our (wife and I) average expenses over the last few months has been around $2,000 ($24,000 per year). If I subtract the cash back credit card rewards I am getting (I average about 3%), the average drops to $1,940 per month, or $23,280 per year. This is consistent with my annual average over the last few years. Getting down to this level made me curious as to whether my expenses were actually below the U.S. Federal Poverty Level guidelines.




Why? Well, I have no intention of applying for any of the federal benefits one is eligible for when their income is below (or even at exceeding multiples of) the poverty line, such as the National School Lunch Program, Food Stamps, Home Energy Assistance Program, Affordable Connectivity Program internet subsidy, etc.

US poverty guidelines

Rather, I wanted to see how close I was from a cost of living expense standpoint to the poverty income guidelines. What does the U.S. government view as “poverty” or “poor” (or, at least poor enough to be eligible for federal assistance). Am I living below that income level (assuming zero taxes)? Could I live below that level if I had to?

So, what is the federal poverty line? Let’s start there…

2024 U.S. Poverty Guidelines (Federal Poverty Level)

The poverty guidelines tables adjust every year with inflation. Here are the 2024 federal poverty guidelines for eligibility for related government programs:

Family Size:48 Contiguous States & D.C.:Alaska:Hawaii:
1$15,060$18,810$17,310
2$20,440$25,540$23,500
3$25,820$32,270$29,690
4$31,200$39,000$35,880
5$36,580$45,730$42,070
6$41,960$52,460$48,260
7$47,340$59,190$54,450
8$52,720$65,920$60,640
each additional person, add:$5,380$6,730$6,190

As you can see, the level changes with the number of household members. Alaska and Hawaii have different federal poverty levels than the 48 contiguous states and District of Columbia, due to elevated cost of living in those states. Each year, the poverty guidelines are increased/decreased due to changes in the CPI (a measure of inflation). In most cases, these numbers go up annually.




2023 U.S. Poverty Guidelines (Federal Poverty Level)

If you’re looking for the 2023 federal poverty guidelines, they are as follows:

Family Size:48 Contiguous States & D.C.:Alaska:Hawaii:
1$14,580$18,210
$16,770
2$19,720$24,640
$22,680
3$24,860$31,070
$28,590
4$30,000$37,500
$34,500
5$35,140
$43,930
$40,410
6$40,280
$50,360
$46,320
7$45,420
$56,790
$52,230
8$50,560
$63,220
$58,140
each additional person, add:$5,140$6,430$5,910

What Percentage of Americans Live in Poverty?

According to the U.S. Census, 11.5% of Americans live in poverty, or with incomes that are below the federal poverty levels highlighted above.

How is the “Poverty” Definition Determined? Is it Taxable Income? Gross Income? Adjusted Gross Income? Etc.

The U.S. Census, who measures and reports on poverty, states:

If a family’s pre-tax income is less than the dollar value of their threshold, that family and every member are considered to be in pov­erty.




So, in the eyes of the Census, “poverty” is pre-tax income (before any tax credits, deductions, etc.). However, some federal benefits programs have different definitions than this. Check out the U.S. Federal Poverty Level Guidelines link at the top of this article for more details.

Are Our Expenses Below the Income Poverty Line?

At $23,280 in annual expenses, compared to $20,440 in income (current federal poverty line for a 2-person household), we’re not quite there, but we’re close. Could we get there? Yes. We’d have to cut about $2,840 annually, roughly $237 monthly, out of our expenses.

Yes, I know that I am comparing apples (income) to oranges (expenses) – but that is the point. Our incomes are quite a bit higher than the federal poverty guidelines, yet we’ve managed to keep our expenses close to them. Our expenditures do not come close to matching our income level.

As it is, I feel like our quality of life is pretty rich, even at these expense levels. We cook up great organic vegetarian meals, travel a few times per year, have a solid humble home in a good community, we have multiple mobile devices, high-speed internet, fancy bikes, clothing, TV, computers, car, and backpacking gear. In our view, we are not living deprived. And we certainly don’t feel impoverished in any way.

The sacrifices it would take to cut $237 per month out of our expenses would not be overly painful. It would probably come from a mix of cutting some entertainment, changing our diet slightly to accommodate a shift to more bulk food purchases, reducing our HVAC energy consumption, re-evaluating our insurance levels, and maybe even appealing my property taxes with city hall. These are all things that are on my to-do list.

This thought experiment is not to compare to or diminish the pain that can be felt while living in poverty. There is effectively a poor tax that is very real. Also, it’s not even a fair comparison. I live in a lower cost of living state. I’ve spent well over a decade optimizing my finances. And I have savings to pad any emergency or big ticket items.

However, there are plenty of opportunities for Americans to drive expenses lower without sacrificing quality of life. The median household income in the U.S. is $74,580 – yet almost 100% of it is spent per year (the personal savings rate in the U.S. is close to zero)! That’s the point of this analysis. Americans typically spend more than what they need to in order to live a comfortable lifestyle and far more than what they would need to if they were “living in poverty”. When cutting your expenses to low levels, it’s possible to become more immune to economic factors that are out of your control, which can often impact your income levels. And you might even have a little fun in the process and give back to those more in need.

Could you Live Below the Poverty Level?

Regardless of your income levels,

  • Are your annual expenses below poverty line or near it? If so, do you feel poor or deprived?
  • If your expenses are above the poverty line, could you get there with effort? How would you do it?

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