. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Aug 25.

Published in final edited form as: Soc Serv Rev. 2011 Mar;85(1):39–74. doi: 10.1086/659129

Table 3.

Comparison of Supplemental and U.S. Census Thresholds

Adults	Children	Supplemental			Official Census Thresholds ($)^‡	Difference ($)
Adults	Children	Scale Value	Equivalence^*	SPM Thresholds ($)^†	Official Census Thresholds ($)^‡	Difference ($)
1	0	1.00	.463	11,284	10,590	694
1	1	1.55	.720	17,536	13,540	3,996
1	2	1.79	.830	20,216	16,705	3,511
1	3	2.16	1.003	24,426	21,100	3,326
2	0	1.41	.655	15,959	13,540	2,419
2	1	1.90	.880	21,431	16,689	4,742
2	2	2.16	1.000	24,348	21,027	3,321
2	3	2.40	1.114	27,122	24,744	2,378
3	0	2.16	1.000	24,348	16,218	8,130

Note.—SPM = supplemental poverty measure. Estimates are based on the 2003–07 Consumer Expenditure Survey data, and values are adjusted to January 2007 dollars (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis n.d.).

Each equivalence is calculated as a ratio of a given household type’s scale value to the scale value of the reference family (two adults and two children). For example, the equivalence for one adult and two children is calculated as 1.79/2.16 = 0.83.

^†

The equivalized thresholds are calculated by multiplying the poverty threshold of the reference family (two adults and two children, $24,348) by the equivalence for a given family type.

^‡

The U.S. Census poverty thresholds for a single adult and for a married couple are presented as weighted averages. The actual levels vary by age. See: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshld/thresh07.html (U.S. Census Bureau 2007)..