What Income Is Considered Poverty Level in Florida in 2024?
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Florida is home to 22.61 million people — and 12.7% of them live in poverty. That’s more than 2.87 million Floridians.
A higher percentage of Sunshine State residents languish in poverty than in the country as a whole. Nationally, the rate is 11.5% according to 2022 Census data, the latest on record.
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Even so, Florida is moving in the right direction.
In 2012, 17.1% of the state’s residents lived below the poverty line. Five years later in 2017, it was 15.5% before reaching 12.7% in 2022. That’s a 10-year decline of 25.7%.
But what income meets the official definition of poverty in Florida and how does it compare to other states?
There Are Only 3 Income Standards: Hawaii, Alaska and Everywhere Else
Although the same salary goes much further in some states than others, the Census Bureau uses the same income-based poverty thresholds for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and does not adjust its standards to account for cost-of-living variations.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issues poverty guidelines — which are a simplified version of the Census Bureau’s thresholds — that vary according to household size. Each year, the HHS issues three sets of updated poverty guidelines, one for Alaska, one for Hawaii and one for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.
Here are the current income guidelines for Florida and the other 47 contiguous states according to the number of people per household, up to five. The full list goes up to 14 household members.
1: $14,580
2: $19,720
3: $24,860
4: $30,000
5: $35,140
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In Terms of Living Costs, Florida Is Near the Middle of the Pack
According to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the cost of living in Florida is just 1% higher than the national average. Only Delaware, which is 0.8% higher, is closer to the center. Therefore, Florida is one of the few states where the federal poverty guidelines track fairly equitably.
For example, the cost of living in Mississippi is 13.3% below the national average, which means the poverty threshold should be $26,010 for a family of four instead of $30,000 because Magnolia State residents can spread their dollars so much further. Even so, 19.1% of Mississippi residents live below the poverty line, the highest share among all 50 states.
On the other hand, the cost of living in pricey Massachusetts is 48% higher than the national average. If federal guidelines were indexed to reflect state living costs, the income threshold for Bay State residents would be $44,400 for a family of four instead of $30,000. Despite this disadvantage, just 10.4% of Massachusetts residents live below the poverty line.
Safety Net Programs Reveal More Than Poverty Guidelines
Although federal poverty guidelines are homogenous and don’t account for state-based cost-of-living variations, programs for low-income residents offer a window into Florida’s unique poverty standards.
Medicaid
Medicaid, which provides health insurance to low-income households, is a joint state-federal program funded by both and administered by the states according to federal guidelines.
According to Covering Central Florida, the income eligibility standards for Medicaid in Florida by household size are:
1: $21,870
2: $29,580
3: $37,290
4: $45,000
5: $52,710
As you can see, Floridians can earn up to 150% of the federal poverty level and still qualify for Medicaid as a low-income household.
Section 8 Housing
The Section 8 housing program sheds even more light on what it means to live in poverty in Florida because its income thresholds are highly local and highly specific. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) develops Section 8 income limits according to local median incomes and fair market rent values.
To qualify for Section 8, residents can earn no more than 80% of their local median income, which varies from metro to metro. But in Florida as a whole, the median family income is $85,500. HUD uses that benchmark to determine Section 8 eligibility across three poverty tiers according to household size in Florida:
Low-Income Limit (80% of the Median)
1: $46,450
2: $53,050
3: $59,700
4: $66,350
5: $71,650
Very Low-Income Limit (50% of the Median)
1: $29,000
2: $33,150
3: $37,300
4: $41,450
5: $44,750
Extremely Low-Income Limit (30% of the Median)
1: $17,400
2: $19,900
3: $22,400
4: $24,850
5: $26,850
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