Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Based on official estimates, are fewer than 3% of Americans living in poverty?
Saturday, July 11, 2020
By Mikayla Campbell
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NO
The Census Bureau reports that in 2018 11.8% of Americans lived beneath the poverty line, which is the income level used to determine eligibility for various benefit programs. Calculations are based on family size. Last updated in January, the figure stood at $12,760 in annual income for an individual living in the 48 contiguous states and at $26,200 for a family of four.
Economists Bruce Meyer and James Sullivan advocate an alternative measure of poverty that takes into account the impact of transfer payments, in-kind assistance and other factors to arrive at a "consumption poverty rate." They estimated that rate at 2.8% in 2018.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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