Efforts to Update the Poverty Measure

The Measuring American Poverty Act

The Measuring American Poverty (MAP) Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), is based on recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences in 1995, as well as subsequent research conducted in the following years. The MAP Act would create a Modern Poverty Measure reflecting the current costs of food, housing, clothing, shelter and utilities – plus an additional amount for personal expenses, such as non-work-related transportation, and household supplies. In determining a family’s available income, the Modern Poverty Measure would include income assistance, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, food stamps and housing subsidies.  It would then subtract taxes, work expenses (child care and transportation), and out-of-pocket medical expenses. Geographic cost-of-living differences would also be factored into the final calculation. The Act has yet to be reintroduced in the 112th session of Congress.

The Supplemental Poverty Measure

In March 2010, the Obama Administration announced that the U.S. Census Bureau will pursue a similarly structured Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) to be released this fall alongside the current poverty measure. However, the FY 2011 federal budget did not include the funding requested by President Obama for the SPM, halting plans to move from a research to implementation phase. Without these funds, the Census Bureau is unable to add questions to the Consumer Expenditure survey that are intended to refine the SPM. Research is continuing on the SPM, according to a Census Bureau statement, and based on this work preliminary SPM estimates will be released by the end of October 2011.



To learn more about the MAP Act, view Spotlight’s exclusive interview with Rep. Jim McDermott below.


To check the status of the MAP Act in the House of Representatives click here and in the Senate click here.