The Fact
The official U.S. poverty measure uses money income before taxes and excludes noncash benefits such as SNAP, public housing, and Medicaid.
What This Means
The official poverty rate does not directly count the value of major noncash assistance programs as household income. That is one reason the Census Bureau also publishes the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which treats resources and expenses differently.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/supplemental-poverty-measure.html