US Trends

what is the federal poverty level for 2025

For 2025, the federal poverty level (FPL) is a specific income line that depends on your household size and where you live in the U.S.

2025 Federal Poverty Level – Key Numbers

For the 48 contiguous states and DC in 2025, the federal poverty guidelines are approximately:

  • 1 person: $15,650 per year
  • 2 people: $21,150 per year
  • 3 people: $26,650 per year
  • 4 people: $32,150 per year
  • 5 people: $37,650 per year
  • 6 people: $43,150 per year
  • 7 people: $48,650 per year
  • 8 people: $54,150 per year
  • For each additional person: add about $5,500 per year

These are the “100% FPL” figures that many benefits programs use as a base, then apply a percentage (like 138%, 150%, 250%, or 400%) to decide eligibility.

Alaska and Hawaii

Alaska and Hawaii have higher poverty guideline amounts in 2025.

  • Example:
    • Alaska : about $19,550 for a single person.
* **Hawaii** : about **$17,990** for a single person.

Exact multi-person household figures for these states follow separate HHS tables, but the pattern is similar: a base amount for one person plus an increment for each additional person.

How These Numbers Are Used

The 2025 FPL numbers:

  • Are published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) early in the year.
  • Are used for:
    • Medicaid and CHIP eligibility in 2025 (and into early 2026 in many cases).
    • Marketplace subsidies for health insurance with 2026 effective dates.
  • Programs often look at percentages of FPL (e.g., 150%, 250%, 300%) rather than the raw 100% number.

For example, 150% of the 2025 FPL for one person in the contiguous states is about $23,475 per year.

Quick Example Story

Imagine a single adult living in a mainland U.S. city earning $20,000 a year in 2025. That person’s income is above 100% FPL ($15,650) but below 150% FPL (about $23,475), so they might qualify for some programs that use 150% FPL as a cutoff but not others that require income at or below 100% FPL.

Important Notes

  • Some programs count household size differently or use slightly rounded amounts, so always check the specific program’s rules.
  • When you apply for benefits or health coverage, agencies will match your household income , household size , state , and application year to the correct FPL table.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.