What percentage of americans are low income in 2025

1. What the government reports as “poverty” — the baseline number

The U.S. Census Bureau’s most directly comparable headline is the official poverty rate: the bureau reported the official poverty rate fell to 10.6% for calendar year 2024 (reported in 2025 releases) — that is the share of people below the federal poverty threshold used in official poverty statistics ^[1]. This is the clearest single percent available in the current reporting that pertains to the most recent year covered by the Census reports (2024 data released in 2025) ^[1].

2. Why “low income” is not a single federal percentage

“No single percentage” is the reason you won’t find one authoritative 2025 share labelled “low income.” Federal programs and agencies use different cutoffs: some use 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), others use multiples such as 115%, 125%, 138%, 150%, 200%, etc., depending on the program (Medicaid, CHIP, housing, TRIO, SNAP rules vary) ^{[2] [5] [4]}. For example, the Department of Education’s TRIO definition of a “low‑income individual” is family taxable income at or below 150% of the poverty level ^[4]. HealthCare.gov notes Medicaid and premium tax credit eligibility use different fractions (e.g., below ~138% in expansion states, 100–400% for premium tax credits) ^[5].

3. Concrete thresholds in 2025 that reporters cite

The 2025 HHS poverty guidelines set the dollar thresholds used to calculate those percentages (for example, the 2025 FPL for one person in the contiguous U.S. is $15,650, and a family of four commonly cited FPL amounts are about $32,150) — these are the base figures reporters use to convert percentages into dollar cutoffs and to estimate counts under different “low‑income” definitions ^{[2] [3]}. Media summaries commonly state the 2025 single‑person FPL of $15,650 and note the median household income context (median household income figures are reported separately) ^{[3] [6]}.

4. How you could produce a “percent low income” for 2025 yourself

To estimate a 2025 share labeled “low income,” pick a definition (e.g., ≤150% of FPL, ≤200% FPL, or ≤125% FPL), then apply that cutoff to microdata such as the Census Current Population Survey ASEC or the Income report “Income in the United States: 2024” that contains detailed income distributions. The Census reports and tables released in 2025 provide the underlying data for 2024 income year estimates; analysts use those tables to calculate shares under chosen FPL multiples ^{[7] [8]}. Available sources do not perform that specific 2025 share calculation for every FPL multiple in a single headline figure.

5. Different measures give different pictures — official poverty vs. supplemental measures

The Census produces the official poverty measure (10.6% for 2024) and also the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which adjusts thresholds for taxes, in‑kind benefits and geographic housing costs; the SPM often yields a different rate and is used by researchers to capture program impacts and regional cost differences ^[8]. The Census report and the “Poverty in the United States: 2024” publication include SPM estimates and tables for 2024 ^[8].

6. Journalistic takeaways and caveats for readers

If you need a quick, defensible headline for “low income” in 2025, state your definition: e.g., “10.6% of people were in official poverty in 2024 (Census), while program definitions of ‘low income’—such as ≤150% of the FPL used by TRIO—would classify a larger share; 2025 FPL is $15,650 for an individual” ^{[1] [4] [3]}. Be explicit about which metric you use because policy eligibility and policy debates hinge on those definitional choices ^{[4] [5]}. Available sources do not present a single consolidated percent of Americans who are “low income” in 2025 without first specifying which FPL multiple or poverty measure is meant ^[2].

If you tell me which definition you want (e.g., ≤150% of FPL, ≤200% of FPL, official poverty, or the SPM), I can point to the specific Census tables and program thresholds referenced in these sources and explain how an analyst would compute that percent using the 2024 income data published in 2025 ^{[8] [7] [2]}.