Not ascertained in 1960. In 1970, families and unrelated individuals (excluding college students in dormitories and Armed Forces personnel in barracks) are classified as being above or below the poverty level, using the poverty index adopted by a Federal Interagency Committee in 1969. This index takes into account such factors as family size, number of children, and farm-nonfarm residence, as well as the amount of money income. The poverty level is based on an economy food plan designed by the Department of Agriculture for emergency or temporary use when funds are low. The definition assumes that a family is classified as poor if its total money income amounts to less than approximately three times the cost of the economy food plan. These cutoff levels are updated every year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index.
In 1970, percent below poverty level is calculated as the proportion of the total universe which reports income below the poverty level: for example, below poverty level families as a percent of all families.