Knowing the Strengths and Limitations of Poverty Measures Can Help Us Better Understand Poverty

The ways poverty is measured can influence how we understand what it means to live in poverty. These measures inform the work of policymakers, practitioners, and advocates to address poverty and prevent the associated adverse consequences. This brief by Child Trends summarizes the basic attributes of the range of poverty measures, as well as their strengths and limitations. The objective is to give policy analysts and researchers the tools to interpret poverty statistics appropriately and decide when to use which measure.