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The poverty guidelines are a simplified version of the federal poverty thresholds used for administrative purposes - for instance, determining financial eligibility for certain federal programs. They are issued each year in the Federal Register by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The guidelines are also used by commercial and non-profit organizations to establish standards for membership and offerings to individuals and families.
The Guide changes every year based on many factors including inflation. Below you can see the standards used for the 48 contiguous states while Alaska, Hawaii and Territories of American Samoa and others will have adjusted rates to meet their location.
2008 HHS Poverty Guidelines
| Persons in Family or Household |
48 Contiguous States and D.C. |
Alaska | Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,400 | $13,000 | $11,960 |
| 2 | 14,000 | 17,500 | 16,100 |
| 3 | 17,600 | 22,000 | 20,240 |
| 4 | 21,200 | 26,500 | 24,380 |
| 5 | 24,800 | 31,000 | 28,520 |
| 6 | 28,400 | 35,500 | 32,660 |
| 7 | 32,000 | 40,000 | 36,800 |
| 8 | 35,600 | 44,500 | 40,940 |
| For each additional person, add |
3,600 | 4,500 | 4,140 |
SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 73, No. 15, January 23, 2008, pp. 3971–3972
