University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign

What Is "FPL"?

Federal poverty levels (FPLs) are often used to determine whether individuals or families are eligible for certain government programs. The federal poverty level is a measure of income issued every year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

What is "FPL"?

How FPL Works

Each January, the U.S. Census Bureau issues a set of preliminary poverty thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who lives in poverty.

table with poverty threshold data

Poverty thresholds by size of family and number of children

These thresholds are used mainly for statistical purposes such as preparing estimates of the number of Americans living in poverty each year.

Then, later in January, HHS issues poverty guidelines based on these thresholds. The poverty guidelines are often referred to as the federal poverty level (FPL).

Federal programs can use the guidelines (or percentage multiples of the guidelines — for instance, 130% or 185% of the federal poverty level) to determine eligibility for certain programs that support young children and their families.

In turn, the poverty guidelines are used to determine grant funds for these programs by federal administering agencies.

  • Poverty Guidelines

    U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines Used to Determine Financial Eligibility for Certain Programs

FPL Data on IECAM

The Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map provides comprehensive early childhood data and maps to local and state agencies and other stakeholders in order to improve outcomes for Illinois children.

Users can find information about young children living in families at various federal poverty levels in Illinois with the push of a few buttons.

Using IECAM's Online Database

Clicking on the "Search the Database" tab on the IECAM homepage will take you directly to the online database's portal page. By checking a few boxes, you can easily find the number of children from birth to age 5 who are living in families with income below 50%, 100%, 130%, 185%, 200%, and 400% of the federal poverty level on various geographic levels in Illinois.