New supplemental poverty measure changes the face of poverty

The Census Bureau has just released a new measure of poverty that takes noncash government benefits and tax credits into account as income, and costs such as medical spending, taxes, commuting, and child care into account as expenses. This results in a slightly higher poverty threshold, and changes the portion of Americans at each income level. Under the new measure, significantly fewer citizens are considered "well off," while the middle and low income classes have grown.

For more on the supplemental measure, click here.