What is the federal poverty level?
Updates published annually
The federal poverty guidelines — also known as the federal poverty level (FPL) — are used by federal agencies to determine eligibility for programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). These guidelines are issued annually by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and are based on the official poverty thresholds calculated by the Census Bureau. They set the income limits for many need-based programs, helping determine who qualifies for assistance. While the thresholds are more detailed and used for statistical measurement of poverty, the FPL is a simplified version designed for administrative purposes. The guidelines are adjusted for inflation each year and vary by household size.
$32.2K
federal poverty level for a family of four (2025)
$26.7K
federal poverty level for a family of three (2025)
The FPL depends on the size of a family or household. In 2025, the guideline ranges from $15,650 for a single-person household to $54,150 for a household of eight, increasing by roughly $5,500 for each additional person. For a family of four, it is $32,150.
The figures cited here apply to the 48 contiguous states and Washington, DC; Alaska and Hawaii have separate, higher guidelines due to differences in cost of living.
The federal poverty level ranges from $15,650 for a single-person household to $54,150 for an eight-person household.
Federal poverty guidelines by family size in the contiguous US (2025)
The FPL are derived from the official poverty thresholds, which were originally developed in the 1960s based on the cost of a minimum food diet multiplied by three — reflecting the fact that food makes up about one-third of a typical family’s budget. The thresholds are updated annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). In addition to family size, these thresholds vary by the number of children in the household and, for one- or two-person households, whether someone is 65 or older. In all, there are 48 different thresholds.
The official poverty thresholds vary by family type, age, and number of children.
Poverty thresholds by family type and number of children (2024)
HHS simplifies the thresholds into the poverty level, using a base amount for one person and adding a fixed increment for each additional household member.
While the poverty thresholds are used to calculate national poverty statistics, the poverty level serve a different purpose: they help determine eligibility for many federal assistance programs aimed at supporting low-income individuals and families. These include:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- National School Lunch Program
- Health insurance programs like Medicaid and CHIP
- Head Start, which provides early childhood education and support
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Each program uses a specific percentage of the federal poverty level (FPL) to determine eligibility. For example, in 2025:
- 100% FPL for a family of four is $32,150. Children in families making less than this amount have priority in Head Start.
- To qualify for free school lunch, the household must earn no more than 130% of FPL, or higher than the 100% FPL. This comes out to $41,795. The same income limit applies for SNAP.
- For reduced-price lunch, the cap is 185% of FPL: $59,478.
Eligibility for many government programs are based on the federal poverty level.
Federal poverty level percentages by household size (2025)
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.