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What is the current federal poverty level for a single person in 2024?
Executive Summary
The authoritative 2024 federal poverty guideline for a single person in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia is $15,060, as published by the Department of Health and Human Services and reflected across government guidance used to determine program eligibility. Some official documents and derivative computations report different adjacent figures—most notably a computational figure of $15,490 and the 2025 guideline figure of $15,650—but those reflect different measures, calculation notes, or later-year guidelines rather than contradicting the HHS 2024 guideline itself [1] [2] [3].
1. Why $15,060 is the baseline and where it comes from
The HHS 2024 Poverty Guidelines are the official basis used by federal programs and are the figure most agencies cite when determining eligibility; the 2024 guideline lists $15,060 for a single individual in the 48 contiguous states and DC, with higher values for Alaska and Hawaii [1] [4]. Government-run portals that explain eligibility—such as the federal health insurance and benefits glossaries—mirror that HHS number when defining the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for most program rules [5] [6]. The HHS release date and explanatory materials anchor this number: agencies update their guidance annually using that HHS publication, making $15,060 the operative single-person FPL for federal program year 2024 [1] [7]. This is the figure used in most benefit calculations, including the base for percent-of-FPL metrics such as 133% or 150% thresholds for subsidies or fee waivers [8].
2. Where alternative numbers appeared and what they mean
Some official analyses and computations show different figures: for example, an ASPE computation document lists $15,490 as a value tied to calculations, and other releases note the 2025 poverty guideline of $15,650 for a single person [2] [3]. These alternative numbers do not negate the HHS 2024 guideline; instead they reflect either different measurement systems—such as the Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds versus HHS poverty guidelines—or prepared computations that adjust or project values for technical reporting needs [9] [3]. Agencies sometimes publish auxiliary tables and computational worksheets that include rounding, regional adjustments, or alternate definitions used for statistical reports; these produce adjacent figures that can confuse non‑expert readers if presented without context [2].
3. Geographic adjustments: Alaska and Hawaii matter
The HHS guidelines explicitly provide higher poverty guideline amounts for Alaska and Hawaii due to higher living costs in those states; for 2024 the single-person amounts are $18,810 for Alaska and $17,310 for Hawaii, while the contiguous U.S. and DC remain $15,060 [4] [1]. These geographic differentials are part of the HHS table and are the reason many program notices include state-specific citations when applying FPL-based eligibility. When you see a single national figure quoted without the Alaska/Hawaii caveat, it's usually shorthand for the contiguous states/DC value; official determinations require using the specific table row for the applicant’s state or territory [4].
4. How agencies use the FPL and common multipliers to look for
Federal and state programs use the HHS guideline as the statutory baseline and then apply percent-of-FPL cutoffs (for example, 133%, 150%, 200%) to set eligibility and fee waiver thresholds; USCIS fee-waiver guidance, for instance, explicitly cites 150% of the 2024 guideline—shown as $22,590—as a benchmark in fee waiver contexts, which is consistent with the base $15,060 guideline [8]. Program-specific rules, inflation adjustments, or administrative interpretations can change how the guideline is used, so policy texts will often state “HHS Poverty Guidelines [10]” to anchor calculations and then apply the program’s multiplier or additional criteria [8] [7].
5. Bottom line for users and why numbers diverge in reporting
For practical purposes—applying for benefits, calculating eligibility, or citing a federal standard—the correct 2024 single-person FPL to use for the contiguous U.S. and DC is $15,060, as set by HHS and reflected across federal guidance [1] [5]. If you encounter $15,490 or $15,650 in official materials, treat those as different measures, computations, or later-year guidelines rather than replacements of the 2024 HHS baseline; always check whether a source is citing HHS’s 2024 Poverty Guidelines or another table (Census thresholds, ASPE computations, or 2025 updates) before using the number for eligibility determinations [2] [3] [1].