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What is the current federal poverty level for a family of four?
Executive summary
The 2025 federal poverty guideline for a family (household) of four in the 48 contiguous U.S. states is $32,150 (the guideline is higher for Alaska and Hawaii) [1] [2]. These “poverty guidelines” are the administrative numbers HHS publishes and different programs use percentages of them (e.g., 100%, 138%, 200%, 400%) to set eligibility for Medicaid, CHIP, Marketplace subsidies, and other benefits [3] [4].
1. What the number is and where it comes from
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at HHS issues annual “poverty guidelines” often referred to colloquially as the federal poverty level (FPL); for 2025 ASPE’s tables show $32,150 as the guideline for a family of four in the contiguous U.S. [5] [1]. Media and consumer sites republish the HHS/ASPE figures: for example, USAFacts and TurboTax both list $32,150 for a family of four in 2025 [1] [6].
2. Distinction between “guidelines” and official Census thresholds
HHS calls these figures “poverty guidelines” and notes they are related to—but not identical with—the Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds used for statistical measurement (the agency advises avoiding the ambiguous phrase “FPL” in technical contexts) [5]. Some outlets conflate the concepts; for clarity, ASPE’s guidelines are the administrative numbers used to determine eligibility for many programs, while Census thresholds underpin official poverty statistics [5].
3. Geographic differences: Alaska and Hawaii
The published guidelines differ for Alaska and Hawaii because of higher living costs in those states; HHS/ASPE tables show elevated amounts for those jurisdictions, and multiple summaries cite the higher Alaska and Hawaii figures [5] [7]. Consumer-facing pages remind readers that the $32,150 figure applies to the 48 contiguous states and that residents of Alaska or Hawaii should consult the state-specific numbers [2] [7].
4. How agencies and programs use the guideline (practical implications)
Different programs apply the guideline differently: Medicaid and CHIP eligibility commonly reference the 2025 FPL numbers to determine enrollment through much of the following year, and Marketplaces use prior-year amounts for calculating premium tax credit eligibility [3] [8]. Legal-aid and benefits guides also publish multiples of the guideline—e.g., 115%, 125%, 187.5%, 200%, 300%, 400%—because many programs set cutoffs at those percentages [4].
5. Timing and annual updates: what “current” means
The 2025 guidelines are used for eligibility determinations through parts of 2025 and into early 2026 for some programs; HHS notes the guidelines are updated periodically and the 2025 data were made available in January/early 2025 [5] [3]. Healthinsurance.org explains states will switch to the 2026 FPL numbers when they’re published (expected in January 2026), illustrating that “current” depends on which benefit or program and its update schedule [8].
6. How to interpret the figure in real life
$32,150 represents the annual income threshold used for administrative eligibility—programs then apply their own rules about counting income, household composition, and rounding [2] [5]. Guidance pages and tax/benefits explain that eligibility calculations can vary by program (e.g., whether monthly or annual income is used), so a household at or near $32,150 might qualify for some supports and not others depending on program rules [3] [4].
7. Reporting discrepancies and caution for readers
Most outlets consistently report $32,150 for a family of four in 2025, but some articles mix the terms “poverty threshold” and “poverty guideline” or quote Census thresholds interchangeably with HHS guidelines [1] [9]. Readers should consult the official HHS/ASPE tables or program-specific guidance when making eligibility decisions because programs may round or use different income definitions [5] [2].
8. Where to go next for verification and benefits questions
For authoritative, program-specific uses of the FPL consult HHS/ASPE’s poverty guidelines page and the detailed 2025 tables; for practical eligibility questions (Medicaid, CHIP, Marketplace subsidies) refer to Healthcare.gov and program administrators for state-by-state rules [5] [3]. Consumer summaries (Mass Legal Services, TurboTax, PAN Foundation) can help translate the raw guideline into monthly/weekly amounts and common percentage cutoffs used by assistance programs [4] [10].
Limitations: this summary relies on HHS/ASPE-derived 2025 guidelines and secondary reporting in the cited sources; available sources do not mention any 2026 final figures or post‑2025 changes beyond expectations that HHS will publish updated numbers in early 2026 [5] [8].