understand what poverty is and don’t think it occurs in the United states. But the truth is

that it does effect families and communities in the United States. In 2000, according to

the official measure, over eleven percent of the total U.S. population lived in poverty

(U.S. Bureau). So the U.S. citizens need to understand certain concepts of poverty

including; how poverty is measured in the United States, who are poor in the United

States, and what does the government do to help out families in poverty.

Poverty in the United States is calculated by a poverty measure developed by

Mollie Orshansky during the mid-1960’s. Orshansky was a social science research analyst

at the Social Security Administration. She began publishing articles with poverty statistics

for the United States using a poverty calculation that she had developed. Orshansky’s

measure had two components, a set of income thresholds and a definition of family income

to be compared with those thresholds. She developed her poverty threshold by taking the

cost of a minimum diet for families of different sizes and multiplied the cost by three to

insurance programs such as social security and welfare, and negative income tax systems.

the U.S. Bureau of the Budget, now known as the U.S. Office of Management and

is highest among those headed by single women. In 2000, over twenty-four percent of all

The government tries to reduce poverty in many ways including; tax polices, social

actually increased poverty. Many people argue that without the programs, income

Some topics in this essay:
Boyes Melvin, Blacks Hispanics, Security Administration, , Bureau Poverty, Poverty Guidelines, Melvin Poverty, Census Bureau, Minnesota Hampshire, Management Budget, reduce poverty, boyes melvin, income tax, social security, families poverty, poverty rate, negative income tax, social insurance, poverty rates, negative income, blacks hispanics, social security administration, government tries reduce, programs social security, social insurance programs,