What does it mean to be poor? Or, more precisely, what material things comprise “What is enough?” This is the central question to scholars who study poverty. The number of people living in poverty varies by the agency that collects the data and the percentage of poor used by governmental agencies is only a general estimate. This chapter considers the definition of poverty and how this construction affects who is considered poor and eligible to receive assistance. We then turn to the determinants of poverty and sociological theories that seek to explain who are the poor and predict how many people will fall below the poverty line in any given period. We conclude with the consequences associated with poverty as well as broad national policies and their effectiveness at reducing poverty.

What Is Poverty?

Poverty is a dearth of resources such as money or material possessions that are needed for survival. In modern society, it is defined as the lack of both income and wealth. The official poverty measure reveals that about 14.3 percent of the nation or 1 in 7 people is experiencing poverty, the highest rate since 1994 (U.S. Census Bureau 2010). The aggregate poverty rate varies by region with the Northeast having the lowest rate of 12.2 percent and the South with the highest rate of 15.7 (U.S. Census 2010).