What's the Actual Poverty Line in 2025? Here's What the Numbers Say

The U.S. poverty threshold just got updated for 2025, and the numbers might surprise you.

For a single person: $15,650/year is the cutoff. For a family of four: $32,150/year. To put that in perspective, the median household income is $75,580 — nearly 3x higher than the poverty line.

Where You Live Actually Matters

Poverty thresholds vary by state. In Alaska and Hawaii, they’re noticeably higher:

• Alaska (1 person): $19,550 vs $15,650 nationally
• Hawaii (1 person): $17,990 vs $15,650 nationally

This makes sense — cost of living is drastically different.

The Real Poverty Reality

Here’s what’s wild about living in poverty:

Poor households are spending differently than everyone else:

• Housing: Low-income families spend 41.2% of income vs 33.8% average
• Food: Under $15k earners spend 16.7% vs 12.4% average
• Healthcare: Those earning $15-30k spend 10.9% vs 8.1% average

Meanwhile, they’re cutting back hard on discretionary spending — entertainment, personal care, insurance.

The Big Picture

Census data shows 36.8 million Americans (11.1%) live in official poverty as of 2023. Child poverty measured by supplemental metrics hit 13.7%, up 1.3 percentage points.

The takeaway? Inflation hits low-income earners way harder. When 40%+ of your paycheck goes to rent and food, there’s literally nothing left to build with.