Topics: Economics and Personal Finances, Socioeconomic Class. 1  Richard Fry is a senior researcher focusing on economics and education at Pew Research Center. 2  Rakesh Kochhar is an associate director of research at Pew Research Center.
In the United States, the Census Bureau determines who is poor using an economic poverty measure, by calculating official poverty estimates using a set of dollar-value thresholds, or minimum amount of income needed to meet basic needs, that vary by family size and composition.
poor. adj. poorÂ·er, poorÂ·est. 1. a. Having insufficient wealth to meet the necessities or comforts of life or to live in a manner considered acceptable in a society. b. Relating to or characterized by poverty: the poor side of town. 2. Deficient or lacking in a specified resource or quality: an area poor in timber and coal; a diet poor in calcium. 3.