Your Local Factfinder  (Enter your county and state for a current survey of data from 2008.)

The "Poverty Line"

When the poverty line was created in the 1960s, one-third of a person's budget went for food. To set the poverty line today, the U. S. Department of Agriculture determines how much money a family would spend on food and multiples it by three. However, today food requires only 13.3 percent of a family's budget. The result of this method of calculation is that people often are classifed above the poverty line but live in poverty.

The poverty level for a family of seven in 2009 is $33,270 annually.

The Bonds earn $50,050  annually.

The Self-Sufficiency Standard

The Self-Sufficiency Standard, another approach, calculates how much money working adults need to meet their basic needs without subsidies of any kind. Unlike the federal poverty standard, the Self-Sufficiency Standard accounts for the costs of living and working as they vary by family size and composition and by geographic location.

To find the Self-Sufficiency Standards within the United States, visit the Center for Women's Welfare website here.

• On the web page that opens, you will see a map of the United States.
• Click on your state.
• Links to information about your state will appear in a column to the right of the map.
• Click the link that reads "The Self Sufficiency Standard for . . ."

Enter the data in the chart below.

The Living Wage

The Living Wage is the earning rate required to meet minimum standards of living within a particular community. To find the Living Wage for your community, visit the Poverty in America Living Wage calculator here.

• On the page that appears, click the name of your state.
• On the next page that appears, click the name of your county of other geographic locality.

Enter the data in the chart below.