[자료] poverty threshold

자료: http://www.ocpp.org/poverty/how/

(...) In 1963-1964, Molly Orshansky of the Social Security Administration developed poverty thresholds. 

• Orshansky based her poverty thresholds on the "thrifty food plan," which was the cheapest of four food plans developed by the Department of Agriculture. The food plan was "designed for temporary or emergency use when funds are low," according to the USDA. Based on the 1955 Household Food Consumption Survey from the USDA (the latest available survey at the time), 
• Orshansky knew that families of three or more persons spent about one third of their after-tax income on food. She then multiplied the cost of the USDA economy food plan by three to arrive at the minimal yearly income a family would need. 

Using 1963 as a base year, she calculated that a family of four, two adults and two children would spend $1,033 for food per year. Using her formula based on the 1955 survey, she arrived at $3,100 a year ($1,033 x3) as the poverty threshold for a family of four in 1963.

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자료: 구글이 보관한 삭제된 링크

(...) 미국 사회보장청의 오샨스키(Mollie Orshansky)는 미국의 3인이상 가구의 엥겔계수가 대개 1/3이라는데 착안해서 최저한의 식품비를 계산한 뒤 여기에 3을 곱하여 빈곤선을 계산하는 편법을 제안하였다. 오샨스키의 이 방법은 지금까지도 미국의 공식적 빈곤선(poverty line)계산에 이용되고 있다. (...)