Only reported income is counted when they tally up the poverty numbers. All the stuff that people receive courtesy of the taxpayers - food stamps, housing, medical care, utilities, meals for the kiddies at school, even the “free” cell phones! - are not counted. So a family could have a small income (and that’s only the income that is reported to the government!), have all their basic necessities paid for by the taxpayers, and still be counted as living in poverty. It’s a sham!
Where is the data about how they determine poverty available?