United States Census Bureau | An official website of the United States Government

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

census.gov Notification

Due to the lapse of federal funding, portions of this website are not being updated. Any inquiries submitted via www.census.gov will not be answered until appropriations are enacted.

Skip Header

Partners Researchers Educators Survey Respondents

Explore Census.gov for...

Partners
Researchers
Educators
Survey Respondents

News NAICS Codes Jobs About Us Contact Us Help

Topics

Data & Maps

Surveys & Programs

Resource Library

Search data, events, resources, and more

Helpful Links

Advanced Data Search Get Survey Help International Database (IDB) American Community Survey (ACS) Census Records & Genealogy

Helpful Links

Advanced Data Search Get Survey Help International Database (IDB) American Community Survey (ACS) Census Records & Genealogy

Topics

Browse our topics and subtopics to find information and data.

View All Topics and Subtopics Index A to Z

Age and Sex Business and Economy Education Emergency Management / Disasters Employment Families and Living Arrangements Geography Health Hispanic Origin Housing

Income and Poverty International Trade Migration/Geographic Mobility Population Population Estimates Public Sector Race Redistricting Research Voting and Registration

Data & Maps

Access demographic, economic and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Explore census data with visualizations and view tutorials.

Explore data on data.census.gov View all data resources

Census Academy Combining Data Data Tools and Apps Datasets Developers Experimental Data Products Interactive Maps

Mapping Files Profiles Related Sites Software Tables Training and Workshops Visualizations

Surveys & Programs

Our surveys provide periodic and comprehensive statistics about the nation. This data is critical for government programs, policies, and decision-making.

Survey Help View all Surveys & Programs

Economic Census Household Pulse Survey International Programs Metro and Micro Areas Population Estimates Population Projections Small Area Income and Poverty Statistics of U.S. Businesses Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)

Resource Library

Browse our collection of stories and more.

View all library resources Glossary

America Counts: Stories Audio Blogs By the Numbers Facts for Features Fact Sheets Infographics and Visualizations

Photos Publications Spotlights Stats for Stories Training (Census Academy) Videos Working Papers

Topics

Data & Maps

Surveys & Programs

Resource Library

Partners Researchers Educators Survey Respondents

News NAICS Codes Jobs About Us Contact Us Help

View All Topics and Subtopics Index A to Z

Age and Sex Business and Economy Education Emergency Management / Disasters Employment Families and Living Arrangements Geography Health Hispanic Origin Housing Income and Poverty International Trade Migration/Geographic Mobility Population Population Estimates Public Sector Race Redistricting Research Voting and Registration

Explore data on data.census.gov View all data resources

Census Academy Combining Data Data Tools and Apps Datasets Developers Experimental Data Products Interactive Maps Mapping Files Profiles Related Sites Software Tables Training and Workshops Visualizations

Survey Help View all Surveys & Programs

2020 Census 2026 Census Test 2030 Census American Community Survey (ACS) American Housing Survey (AHS) Annual Business Survey (ABS) Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES) County Business Patterns (CBP) Current Population Survey (CPS) Economic Census Household Pulse Survey International Programs Metro and Micro Areas Population Estimates Population Projections Small Area Income and Poverty Statistics of U.S. Businesses Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)

View all library resources Glossary

America Counts: Stories Audio Blogs By the Numbers Facts for Features Fact Sheets Infographics and Visualizations Photos Publications Spotlights Stats for Stories Training (Census Academy) Videos Working Papers

Census.gov /
Topics /
Income and Poverty /
Supplemental Poverty Measure

Supplemental Poverty Measure

Skip Navigation

Within Supplemental Poverty Measure

About This Topic
America Counts: Stories
Data
Guidance for Data Users
Library
Newsroom
Surveys and Programs

Within Supplemental Poverty Measure

About This Topic
America Counts: Stories
Data
Guidance for Data Users
Library
Newsroom
Surveys and Programs

Supplemental Poverty Measure

An Interagency Technical Working Group on Developing a Supplemental Poverty Measure was formed in 2009 and charged with developing a set of initial starting points to permit the U.S. Census Bureau, in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Featured

Publication

Poverty in the United States: 2024

September 09, 2025

This report presents data on poverty in the United States based on information collected in the 2025 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Visualization

Supplemental Poverty Measure

November 14, 2024

Explore the impact of different programs or expenses on the Supplementary Poverty Measure during each year.
Infographic

How the U.S. Census Bureau Measures Poverty

June 2022

We measure poverty two ways every year. The official poverty measure is based on cash resources. The supplemental poverty measure includes noncash benefits.
Improvements to the Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure

View research on potential changes to the SPM under consideration.

Publications

Publication

Poverty in the United States: 2024

September 09, 2025

This report presents data on poverty in the United States based on information collected in the 2025 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Publication

Poverty in the United States: 2023

September 10, 2024

This report presents data on poverty in the United States based on information collected in the 2024 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Publication

Poverty in the United States: 2022

September 12, 2023

This report presents data on poverty in the United States based on information collected in the 2023 and earlier CPS ASEC.

Tables

Table

Poverty in the United States: 2024

September 09, 2025

These tables present data on poverty in the United States based on information collected in the 2025 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Table

ACS SPM State Tables 2009 to 2019 and 2021 to 2023

April 16, 2025

View and download tables on ACS SPM: 2009-2019, 2021-2023
Table

Poverty in the United States: 2023

September 10, 2024

These tables present data on poverty in the United States based on information collected in the 2024 and earlier CPS ASEC.

Datasets

Dataset

ACS Supplemental Poverty Measures (SPM) Research Files

April 16, 2025

These research files enable researchers to create SPM estimates using public use ACS data.
Dataset

Health Inclusive Poverty Measure (HIPM) Research File

November 22, 2024

This file enables researchers to replicate estimates in Health Inclusive Poverty Measure in the United States: 2023 using the 2024 CPS ASEC Public Use File
Dataset

2019 Revised Supplemental Poverty Measure Research File

September 2021

These research files enable researchers to replicate the SPM estimates describe in SEHSD Working Paper #2021-17.

Working Papers

Working Paper

Evaluating the New Mortgage Questions in the CPS's 2010 ASEC

May 01, 2011

To evaluate the quality of new 2010 ASEC mortgage questions, this paper compares similar data collected in ACS and AHS by a number of selected characteristics.
Working Paper

Health Inclusive Poverty Measure in the United States: 2024

September 09, 2025

This working paper continues estimates of the Health Inclusive Poverty Measure (HIPM), presenting estimates alongside the SPM.
Working Paper

Developing a Child Care-Inclusive Poverty Measure

August 2025

This paper defines parameters for a basic need for child care, followed by a demonstration of poverty thresholds and rates using price data to construct need.

All Subtopics Within 'Income and Poverty'

Income

Census money income is defined as income received on a regular basis before payments for taxes, social security, etc. and does not reflect noncash benefits.
Income Inequality

Income inequality is the extent to which income is distributed unevenly among a population.
Poverty

If a family's total income is less than the official poverty threshold for a family of that size and composition, then they are considered to be in poverty.
Program Income and Public Assistance

Public assistance refers to assistance programs that provide either cash or in-kind benefits to individuals and families from any governmental entity.
Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates (SAIPE)

The Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program provides more current estimates for the administration and allocation of federal programs and funds.
Supplemental Poverty Measure

In 2009, the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) created a Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) to replace previous experimental poverty measures.
Wealth and Asset Ownership

Household net worth or wealth is an important defining factor of economic well-being - it can become an additional source of income in hard times or retirement.
Well-Being

Factors that contribute to well-being include income, possession of consumer durables, housing and neighborhood conditions, and the meeting of basic needs.