2023 Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Chart: Households and Cutoffs

The 2023 federal poverty level chart set the income line at $14,580 per year for a single person in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, with $5,140 added for each additional household member. The Department of Health and Human Services published the figures in the Federal Register on January 19, 2023, and dozens of federal programs used them through the year to decide who qualified for assistance.¹ The full chart is below, along with the arithmetic for converting it into an FPL percentage and the program cutoffs those percentages unlocked.

2023 Chart for the 48 Contiguous States and DC

Figures are gross annual income before taxes and deductions.

1 person: $14,580
2 people: $19,720
3 people: $24,860
4 people: $30,000
5 people: $35,140
6 people: $40,280
7 people: $45,420
8 people: $50,560

For households larger than eight, add $5,140 for each additional person. A household of ten, for example, had a 2023 guideline of $60,840.¹

2023 Chart for Alaska

Alaska uses higher figures to reflect its cost of living.

1 person: $18,210
2 people: $24,640
3 people: $31,070
4 people: $37,500
5 people: $43,930
6 people: $50,360
7 people: $56,790
8 people: $63,220

Add $6,430 for each additional person beyond eight.¹

2023 Chart for Hawaii

1 person: $16,770
2 people: $22,680
3 people: $28,590
4 people: $34,500
5 people: $40,410
6 people: $46,320
7 people: $52,230
8 people: $58,140

Add $5,910 for each additional person beyond eight.¹

How to Turn the Chart Into an FPL Percentage

Most federal programs don’t ask whether your income sits above or below the poverty line. They ask whether you’re at 130%, 138%, 200%, or some other percentage of it. The math is one step: divide your household’s annual gross income by the guideline for your household size, then multiply by 100.

A family of four earning $45,000 in 2023 would divide $45,000 by $30,000 to get 1.5, or 150% of the FPL. That family qualified for programs set at 150% or higher and was over the line for anything capped at 138%.

Who Counts as Part of Your Household

Getting the right percentage depends on counting your household correctly. For guideline purposes, a household generally includes people living together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption, which usually means you, your spouse, and any dependents claimed on your tax return. Children under 19 are typically counted even if they split time between two homes.

Unrelated roommates sharing a home are not part of the same household. Each unrelated individual is evaluated on their own income and household size. Foster children and children under legal guardianship can count toward household size for certain programs, but the specific rules vary. Most agencies require documentation such as birth certificates, marriage records, or tax returns to verify who belongs.

The guidelines consider only household size, not ages or relationships. A household of four gets the same figure whether it is two parents and two toddlers or four adult siblings.²

Program Cutoffs Tied to the 2023 Chart

The guidelines set the eligibility ceilings for programs that reach millions of households. Each program picks its own percentage, so it’s common to qualify for one and miss another.

Medicaid

In states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, adults with household incomes up to 138% of the FPL qualified. The statute says 133%, but a built-in 5-percentage-point income disregard shifts the effective line to 138%.³ For a single person in 2023, 138% of $14,580 worked out to roughly $20,120.

SNAP

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program set its gross income limit at 130% of the poverty level for households without an elderly or disabled member. Federal law ties the threshold directly to the poverty line, specifying that a household’s gross income cannot exceed the poverty line by more than 30%.⁴ For a family of four in 2023, that meant a gross monthly income ceiling of about $3,250.

CHIP

The Children’s Health Insurance Program covered children in families earning too much for Medicaid but still unable to comfortably afford private coverage. Income limits vary by state and range from 170% to 400% of the FPL.⁵

Marketplace Premium Tax Credits

ACA marketplace subsidies were historically available between 100% and 400% of the FPL. The American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act temporarily removed the 400% upper limit for tax years 2021 through 2025, so higher-income households could still receive reduced premiums in 2023.⁶ Cost-sharing reductions, which lower deductibles and copays on silver-tier plans, remained tied to incomes at or below 250% of the FPL.

LIHEAP

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps cover heating and cooling costs. Federal law caps income eligibility at 150% of the poverty guidelines, though states can use a higher threshold if 60% of their state median income exceeds that level. No state can set the floor below 110% of the guidelines.⁷

Head Start

Head Start and Early Head Start enroll children from birth through age five whose families earn below 100% of the poverty guidelines. Children who are homeless, in foster care, or in families receiving TANF or SSI qualify regardless of income.⁸

Poverty Guidelines vs. Census Poverty Thresholds

Two different federal measurements use the word “poverty.” The HHS poverty guidelines charted above are a simplified set used to determine program eligibility. They vary by household size and geographic region (contiguous states, Alaska, or Hawaii) but do not account for the ages of household members or how many are children. The Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds are a separate, more detailed set used for statistical research; they factor in family composition but do not vary by geography. Headlines about the number of Americans living in poverty draw on the Census thresholds, not the HHS guidelines.²

If you need current figures instead of 2023 ones, the guidelines are updated by HHS each January and published in the Federal Register.⁹

1
Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines
2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poverty
3
HealthCare.gov. Medicaid Expansion and What It Means for You
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2014 – Eligible Households
5
Medicaid. CHIP Eligibility and Enrollment
6
Congress.gov. Enhanced Premium Tax Credit and 2026 Exchange Premiums
7
The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Income Eligibility for States and Territories
8
HeadStart.gov. Poverty Guidelines and Determining Eligibility for Participation in Head Start Programs
9
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior HHS Poverty Guidelines and Federal Register References