Question

alyssa and tim are married, under the age of 65, and have five children under the age of 18. tim works full time and earns $20,000, while alyssa works part time and earns $9,000. thus, in total, their family income is $29,000. are tim and alyssa living in poverty?

Answer 1

Determining if Tim and Alyssa are living in poverty depends on the official poverty threshold, which varies by family size. Their income of $29,000 might be below the threshold for a family of seven, indicating they could be living in poverty.

Step-by-step explanation:

Whether Tim and Alyssa are living in poverty with their family income of $29,000 depends on the size of their family and the official poverty threshold, which changes based on the number of household members and could also vary by location and other cost of living factors. For example, in some of the scenarios provided, a single parent with three children would need to work a full-time job just to make slightly above $18,000, with government benefits included. Therefore, for a family of seven like Alyssa and Tim's, the poverty threshold would likely be higher than for a family of three or four.

Without the specific poverty threshold figures for their family size, it's not possible to definitively say whether they are living in poverty. However, based on the provided scenarios indicating the struggles faced by smaller families at similar income levels, it's plausible that Tim and Alyssa's income falls short of the requirements to be above the poverty line for a family of seven. Such situations often prompt review of antipoverty programs and debates on work incentives versus government assistance.