Curated OER
Calculating The Poverty Line
Young scholars examine the poverty line. In this poverty line lesson, students discover what the poverty line is and how the U.S. government determines it. Young scholars calculate alternative poverty lines and examine their implications.
![Ssec: How Can a Family Be in Poverty and Not Be Poor? [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Ssec: How Can a Family Be in Poverty and Not Be Poor? [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Social Science Education Consortium
Ssec: How Can a Family Be in Poverty and Not Be Poor? [Pdf]
This investigation helps students examine issues related to measuring poverty. Is reducing poverty an appropriate economic role for government? How do you measure poverty? What is not examined when measuring poverty? What are alternative...
US Census Bureau
U.s. Census Bureau: Poverty
The U.S. Census Bureau offers the official statistics on poverty.
University of Wisconsin
Institute for Research on Poverty: How Is Poverty Measured in the United States?
Describes how the United States measures poverty. Includes graphs comparing poverty rates over time, in different states, in different ethnic or age groups, etc.
US Census Bureau
U.s. Census Bureau: Poverty
Contains a wealth of information about poverty in the U.S. including statistics and characteristics of those living in poverty.
Other
U.s. Dept. Of Health and Human Services: Absolute Poverty Line
At this site from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, using evidence from U.S., Britain, Canada, and Australia, this paper argues that absolute poverty lines rise as the real income rises. (Published Sept. 1995)