Codes and Frequencies
POVERTY2 reports the ratio of family income to the U.S. Census Bureau's poverty threshold for the year in question. The poverty status of a family group is assigned to each member of the family, thus making POVERTY2 a person-level variable. The ratio of income to the poverty threshold is also calculated for adults who live alone or with persons they are not related to; in such cases, POVERTY2 is based on the individual's income.
Values for POVERTY2 range from less than half of the poverty threshold for a family of a given size and age structure (i.e., with a given number of children under 18) to five or more times the poverty threshold for a family of a given size and age structure. For families where the number of children under age 18 is equivalent to the number of family members, family income is presumed to be nonexistent, and the ratio of such nonexistent income to the poverty line is undefinable (with a code of 98 in POVERTY2). POVERTY2 differs from an alternate poverty ratio variable POVERTY, because POVERTY2 provides additional categories with greater income detail.
The ratio of family income to the official poverty threshold in POVERTY2 is available only for 1997 forward. The dichotomous variable POORYN, which distinguishes persons with family income at or above the poverty threshold from persons with family income below the poverty threshold, is available for 1982 forward. For a detailed discussion of the basis of the Census Bureau's official poverty thresholds, users should consult the variable description for POORYN.
- 1997-2018: All persons.
- 1997-2018 : PERWEIGHT