# Poverty for non-relative subfamilies

**URL:** <https://forum.ipums.org/t/poverty-for-non-relative-subfamilies/4074>\
**Category:** USA\
**Created:** [April 2, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/poverty-for-non-relative-subfamilies/4074 "2021-04-02T17:51:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Molly\_Richard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Molly\_Richard](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Molly_Richard)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/poverty-for-non-relative-subfamilies/4074/1 "2021-04-02T17:51:48Z")

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I am interested in determining the poverty level of subfamilies in a household. For subfamilies (individuals who are related to each other) that are unrelated to the household head (i.e., RELATED=1260), are poverty values calculated only based on a single individual’s income? For example, if a married couple subfamily (two individuals coded as in the same SUBFAM and SFTYPE=6) are both are RELATED=1260, will their poverty level be based on their combined income? In looking at a sample of data, it appears to be the case that POVERTY is based on their combined income and unrelated to anyone else in the household, but I wanted to confirm.  
Thank you!

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**Author:** ![Molly\_Richard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Molly\_Richard](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Molly_Richard)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 5:31pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/poverty-for-non-relative-subfamilies/4074/2 "2021-04-06T17:31:45Z")

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I should have tagged this #USA

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**Author:** ![Matthew\_Bombyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Matthew\_Bombyk](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Matthew_Bombyk)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/poverty-for-non-relative-subfamilies/4074/3 "2021-04-09T19:51:57Z")

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In IPUMS USA, the values of the harmonized variable POVERTY are based on the family units defined in [FAMUNIT](https://usa.ipums.org/usa-action/variables/famunit#description_section). Individuals who are unrelated to the householder are assigned a POVERTY value based on summing the income of everyone in the household with a common value of FAMUNIT. In contrast, the original Census Bureau poverty variable treated everyone who is unrelated to the householder as individuals (not members of a family) for the purposes of poverty calculation.

There is one caveat, which is noted in the variable description for POVERTY:

> … it is possible for individuals identified as being non-relatives of the head ([RELATE](https://usa.ipums.org/usa-action/variables/RELATE)) to be included in the primary family (FAMUNIT 1), based on [family pointer information](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/chapter5/NewfamilyinterrelationshipvariablesinIPUMSUSA.shtml). However, because the POVERTY values for primary families in the 2000 Decennial and ACS/PRCS samples are published in the PUMS by the Census Bureau (see User Caution below) and the Census Bureau strictly excludes “non-relatives” (RELATED \> 1100) from primary families, some individuals identified as FAMUNIT 1 by IPUMS USA will not have the same POVERTY value as the head of household. These individuals will instead have the single-person poverty calculation assigned to them by the Census Bureau.