What is the federal poverty level for 2026?

The 2026 federal poverty level (FPL) is $15,060 for a single person and $31,200 for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states. Alaska and Hawaii have higher thresholds. The FPL is used to determine eligibility for Medicaid, SNAP, ACA subsidies, and dozens of other programs.

Can you actually live on the poverty line income?

The federal poverty level significantly understates true poverty. It was designed in the 1960s based on food costs being one-third of income. Today, housing alone exceeds one-third of income for most low-income households. The supplemental poverty measure (SPM), which accounts for housing and medical costs, suggests the real poverty threshold is 20-40% higher.

Federal Poverty Level by State and Family Size (2026)

The federal poverty level (FPL) determines eligibility for Medicaid, SNAP, ACA subsidies, and dozens of programs. But the official threshold paint an incomplete picture.

2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines

48 Contiguous States + DC

Family Size	Annual Poverty Level	Monthly	Per Hour (Full-Time)	138% FPL (Medicaid)	250% FPL (ACA Subsidies)	400% FPL
1	$15,060	$1,255	$7.24	$20,783	$37,650	$60,240
2	$20,440	$1,703	$9.83	$28,207	$51,100	$81,760
3	$25,820	$2,152	$12.41	$35,632	$64,550	$103,280
4	$31,200	$2,600	$15.00	$43,056	$78,000	$124,800
5	$36,580	$3,048	$17.59	$50,480	$91,450	$146,320
6	$41,960	$3,497	$20.17	$57,905	$104,900	$167,840
7	$47,340	$3,945	$22.76	$65,329	$118,350	$189,360
8	$52,720	$4,393	$25.35	$72,754	$131,800	$210,880

Add $5,380 for each additional person beyond 8.

Alaska

Family Size	Annual Poverty Level	138% FPL	250% FPL
1	$18,810	$25,958	$47,025
2	$25,540	$35,245	$63,850
3	$32,270	$44,533	$80,675
4	$39,000	$53,820	$97,500

Hawaii

Family Size	Annual Poverty Level	138% FPL	250% FPL
1	$17,310	$23,888	$43,275
2	$23,500	$32,430	$58,750
3	$29,690	$40,972	$74,225
4	$35,880	$49,514	$89,700

Programs That Use FPL

Program	FPL Threshold	What It Provides
Medicaid (ACA expansion)	138% FPL	Free healthcare coverage
CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance)	200-300% FPL (varies by state)	Low-cost children’s health coverage
ACA premium subsidies	100-400% FPL	Tax credits for marketplace insurance
ACA cost-sharing reductions	100-250% FPL	Lower deductibles and copays
SNAP (food stamps)	130% FPL (gross), 100% (net)	Monthly food assistance
WIC	185% FPL	Nutrition for women, infants, children
National School Lunch (free)	130% FPL	Free school meals
National School Lunch (reduced)	185% FPL	Reduced-price school meals
Head Start	100% FPL	Free preschool
LIHEAP (heating assistance)	150% FPL	Help with utility bills
Pell Grant (maximum)	Under $30,000 EFC	College tuition assistance
Section 8 housing	50% area median income	Rental vouchers
Lifeline (phone/internet)	135% FPL	Discounted phone/internet

Poverty Rates by State

Rank	State	Poverty Rate	People in Poverty	Median HH Income
1	Mississippi	19.4%	575,000	$48,610
2	Louisiana	18.6%	860,000	$52,295
3	New Mexico	17.6%	372,000	$53,992
4	West Virginia	17.2%	304,000	$50,884
5	Kentucky	16.3%	728,000	$55,573
6	Arkansas	15.7%	475,000	$53,369
7	Alabama	15.5%	776,000	$55,869
8	Oklahoma	14.5%	576,000	$59,132
9	Tennessee	13.4%	930,000	$63,109
10	South Carolina	13.3%	690,000	$59,318
—	National average	11.5%	37.9 million	$75,149
42	Maryland	9.1%	558,000	$94,991
43	Colorado	9.0%	520,000	$87,598
44	Virginia	8.9%	770,000	$87,249
45	Connecticut	8.7%	313,000	$83,572
46	Massachusetts	8.6%	596,000	$89,645
47	Minnesota	8.3%	470,000	$84,313
48	Hawaii	8.2%	118,000	$84,857
49	Utah	7.9%	260,000	$86,833
50	New Jersey	7.8%	718,000	$89,703
51	New Hampshire	7.2%	99,000	$88,465

Official Poverty vs. Supplemental Poverty Measure

Measure	Single Person	Family of 4	What It Includes
Official FPL	$15,060	$31,200	Based on 3x food costs (1960s formula)
Supplemental Poverty Measure	~$18,500	~$36,000	Adds housing, medical, taxes, geographic variation
MIT Living Wage	$22,000-$36,000	$72,000-$120,000	Actual cost of basic necessities by location
Self-sufficiency standard	$25,000-$45,000	$65,000-$130,000	By county, accounts for local costs

The official poverty line understates true need by 20-60% depending on location.

Child Poverty in America

Metric	Value
Children under 18 in poverty	11.6 million (16.2%)
Children in deep poverty (<50% FPL)	5.1 million (7.1%)
Children relying on SNAP	17.5 million
Children on Medicaid/CHIP	37 million
States with highest child poverty	Mississippi (27.7%), Louisiana (25.3%), New Mexico (24.8%)
States with lowest child poverty	New Hampshire (7.8%), Utah (8.1%), Minnesota (9.2%)

Impact of Government Programs on Child Poverty

Program	Children Lifted Out of Poverty
Social Security	1.6 million
Tax credits (EITC + CTC)	4.7 million
SNAP (food stamps)	1.5 million
Housing subsidies	0.8 million
School lunch programs	0.6 million
All programs combined	8.4 million

Without government transfers, child poverty would be roughly 28% instead of 16%.

Working Poor: Poverty Among Full-Time Workers

Metric	Value
Full-time workers below poverty line	1.7 million
Part-time workers below poverty line	3.2 million
Working poor rate (any work)	5.3%
Minimum wage ($7.25) annual full-time income	$15,080
Poverty line for single person	$15,060

A single person working full-time at the federal minimum wage barely clears the poverty line — and doesn’t clear it for any family with dependents.

Cost of Poverty

Cost Category	Annual Cost to Society
Lost economic productivity	$600 billion
Increased healthcare spending	$240 billion
Criminal justice costs	$85 billion
Childhood poverty (long-term effects)	$1.03 trillion
Homelessness services	$30 billion
Total estimated cost	~$1.1 trillion/year

Studies estimate the US loses about 4-5% of GDP annually due to poverty and its effects.