Description

OFFPOV indicates whether a family is classified as poor according to the Official Poverty Measure (OPM). The OPM threshold is defined as three times the cost of a basic food diet in 1963, adjusted to a contemporary dollar value.

The OPM threshold is adjusted by family size, household composition, and the age of the head of household, but does not account for geographic cost-of-living differences or home ownership status. For more information on how the Census Bureau calculates the OPM and the differences between the OPM and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), see Measuring America: How the U.S. Census Bureau Measures Poverty.

A family is classified as poor by this measure if their total cash income falls below the official poverty threshold. A family's supplemental poverty status is described in SPMPOV. For details on how the Census Bureau derives the SPM from the ACS, see The Supplemental Poverty Measure Using the American Community Survey working paper.

Comparability

This variable is comparable across all years.

Universe

Availability

• 2022: --
• 2021: --
• 2020: --
• 2019: ACS
• 2018: ACS
• 2017: ACS
• 2016: ACS
• 2015: ACS
• 2014: ACS
• 2013: ACS
• 2012: ACS
• 2011: ACS
• 2010: ACS
• 2009: ACS
• 2008: --
• 2007: --
• 2006: --
• 2005: --
• 2004: --
• 2003: --
• 2002: --
• 2001: --
• 2000: --
• 1990: --
• 1980: --
• 1970: --
• 1960: --
• 1950: --
• 1940: --
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --
• 1900: --
• 1880: --
• 1870: --
• 1860: --
• 1850: --

• 2022: --
• 2021: --
• 2020: --
• 2019: --
• 2018: --
• 2017: --
• 2016: --
• 2015: --
• 2014: --
• 2013: --
• 2012: --
• 2011: --
• 2010: --
• 2009: --
• 2008: --
• 2007: --
• 2006: --
• 2005: --
• 2000: --
• 1990: --
• 1980: --
• 1970: --
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --

Flags

Editing Procedure

There is no editing procedure available for this variable.