The U.S. Census Bureau has released a report, "The Research Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2010." This report describes the new supplemental poverty measure (SPM), developed by the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Academy of Sciences, that accounts for the economic circumstances of poverty using contemporary social and economic realities. The SPM will not replace the official poverty measure, but it provides greater understanding of the economic conditions of people in poverty. For example, the SPM takes into account items not measured by the official poverty measurement, including benefits family receive (such as cash assistance) and family expenses (such as medical out-of-pocket and commuting costs). The SPM found that the rate of poverty was 15.3, which is higher than the official rate of 15.1.

 

Download the report here or read it on the Census Bureau's website.

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