how poverty is measured
poverty is commonly measured using income thresholds in many countries centralized bodies like the census bureau collect data and update the information on an annual basis based on inflation this information which in the u s is reported through the consumer price index for all urban consumers cpi u generally includes income thresholds compiled from different sizes and types of families or households each family member in a household that falls under the threshold is considered to be in poverty according to the census bureau 4certain types of individuals are not included in the count as their level of poverty cannot be determined these groups include keep in mind that using income thresholds is just one way that countries measure poverty 