The poverty line in the United States for 2025 is set: a family of four with an annual income below $32,150 is considered impoverished. For singles, it is $15,650.

The data comparison is heart-wrenching— the median household annual income is $75,580, which is three times the poverty line. But that's not the most heartbreaking part.

How severe is the cost of living squeeze for the poor? According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Households with an annual income of less than $30k spend 41.2% of their money on rent, higher than the national average of 33.8%.
- Food expenditures account for 16.7% (vs 12.4% nationwide)
- Medical expenditure accounts for 10.9% (vs the national average of 8.1%)

In contrast, spending on entertainment and personal expenses has significantly shrunk - impoverished households can only spend 4.8% on entertainment, compared to the national average of 5.3%.

In 2023, the official poverty rate in the United States is 11.1%, affecting approximately 36.8 million people. The good news is that this represents a decrease of 0.4 percentage points compared to 2022, but the child poverty rate has risen to 13.7%. The social security system remains the largest anti-poverty tool, lifting 27.6 million people out of poverty.

Regional differences are also significant—poverty lines in Alaska and Hawaii are higher (due to the cost of living), with a four-person household being $30,310 and $30,650 respectively.