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Wednesday, February 9, 2005
Officially, definition of poverty hasn't changed over time
"Poor" in the 1960s: When food accounted for about a third of the average family's budget, the federal government came up with a basic income threshold for poverty: triple the cost of a "thrifty food basket."
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Forty years later: Housing, health care, child care and transportation consume a much bigger proportion of most household budgets than the cost of food.
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Same old formula: Despite widespread calls for a more accurate measure of poverty, the government has stuck to its old formula. Politicians don't want to see the number of Americans officially in poverty double on their watch.
Most agree it's obsolete: About 70 percent of Americans believe families today need about twice the federal poverty level to survive, polls show.
Agencies double the level: Many federal, state and local programs have begun doubling the federal poverty level to qualify the needy for assistance with rent, utilities, health insurance, child care and food.
This series: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has adopted that same measure to count the number of low-wage workers living in poverty in King and Snohomish counties.
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