The federal government defines poverty at the family level, and a family s monetary needs depend on its size and composition. For example, two adults and a child have different requirements for food and housing than one adult and three children.
Poverty is a problem that cuts across racial and ethnic boundaries.
Almost half of all families in poverty are white, a little more than a quarter are black, slightly less than a quarter are Hispanic, and the remainder are Asian or from other groups. In fact, black and Hispanic families are about three times more likely to live in poverty than white families.