poverty level

American  

noun

1. poverty line.

---

poverty level Cultural  

1. A level of income above which it is possible to achieve an adequate standard of living and below which it is not. It fluctuates with the cost of living.

---

Discover More

Because the poverty level is somewhat artificially established by the government, it can be manipulated for political ends. As with hidden unemployment, governments are often accused of establishing a poverty level that underestimates the number of poor people.

Other Word Forms

• poverty-level adjective

Etymology

Origin of poverty level

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

Accordingly, a formerly incarcerated person living at or below the poverty level can be charged by four or five departments at once and can be required to surrender 100 percent of his or her earnings.

From Literature

She and her daughter lived barely above the poverty level.

From Literature

Close to 46 percent of the city's children were living below the federal poverty level.

From Literature

Families earning 400% or less of the poverty level are still getting subsidies, but often at a lower level than before.

From The Wall Street Journal

Especially troubling was the sharp cutoff of any subsidies for families earning even a dime more than 400% of the poverty level.

From Los Angeles Times