Why does the Federal Census Poverty Rate (FCPR) not match the Free/Reduced Lunch Rate?
Why does the Federal Census Poverty Rate (FCPR) not match the Free/Reduced Lunch Rate?
This is because these are two different ways of measuring poverty with two different ‘caps’. The FCPR is for any household that is less than 100% of the poverty rate. Under federal guidelines, households with income up to 130% of the poverty rate can qualify for free lunch, and households up to 185% can qualify for reduced lunch. The federal poverty threshold can be found here.
• Federal Poverty thresholds:
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html
• Income eligibility guidelines:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/04/10/2017-07043/child-nutrition-programs-income-eligibility-guidelines
• Email correspondence with the NYSED Title I & Community Services Office on April 16, 2018
• Phone conversation with a representative from the Poverty Statistics Area of the US Census Bureau in an April 19, 2018 phone conversation