poverty line

noun

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Definition of poverty line

: a level of personal or family income below which one is classified as poor according to governmental standards — called also poverty level

See poverty line defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of poverty line from the Web

But while just less than 14 percent of families in 70131 live below the poverty line, 30 percent of families in 70114 fall beneath it.

— chelsea brasted, NOLA.com, "As New Orleans grows, are we forgetting Algiers?," 6 June 2018
Among them was Angelita Ellison, 35, who asked council members to adjust the income threshold to ensure families living below the poverty line, like hers, are prioritized.

— julia terruso, Philly.com, "Tax on new construction advances despite Kenney concerns, scorching criticism from building trades," 6 June 2018
Twenty-eight percent of 63rd Street's black residents live below the poverty line, more than three times the white rate.

— bill turque, kansascity, "'Overkill' or 'great connector'? Thoughts along 63rd Street on renaming it for MLK," 29 May 2018
For comparison, the proportion of people consuming below the US poverty line (around $15 per day) is reduced from 29 to 16 percent thanks to taxes and transfers, according to a study by Columbia University’s Christopher Wimer and colleagues.

— charles kenny and justin sandefur, Vox, "A radical proposal to fight poverty in the developing world: tax the poor more than the rich," 24 May 2018
About 41 million Americans live below the official poverty line, the majority of them white.

— jenny jarvie, latimes.com, "Here's how the Poor People's Campaign aims to finish what MLK started," 11 May 2018
In fact, approximately half of the town’s residents live below the poverty line (49.6 percent).

— fiza pirani, ajc, "This is the poorest town in Georgia, income inequality analysis finds," 10 May 2018
This will reveal the various backgrounds from which the mothers come (all will have incomes below the poverty line, roughly $23,000 for a family of three).

— The Economist, "Does growing up poor harm brain development?," 3 May 2018
Thirty-one percent lived below the poverty line, or dwelled at its threshold.

— rachel vorona cote, The New Republic, "Volunteers of the Ivory Tower," 1 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'poverty line.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.