Why are the poverty guidelines different in Alaska and Hawaii?
Because HHS publishes three separate tables and has done since the guidelines began. For 2026 the guideline for one person is $15,960 in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, $19,950 in Alaska and $18,360 in Hawaii. Alaska’s figures are 25% higher at every household size; Hawaii’s are about 15.04% higher, but not by a constant factor.
United States · HHS poverty guidelines · guideline year 2026 · every figure from an open dataset with its source
The figures
| Household size | 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia | Alaska | Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $19,950 | $18,360 |
| 2 | $21,640 | $27,050 | $24,890 |
| 3 | $27,320 | $34,150 | $31,420 |
| 4 | $33,000 | $41,250 | $37,950 |
| 5 | $38,680 | $48,350 | $44,480 |
| 6 | $44,360 | $55,450 | $51,010 |
| 7 | $50,040 | $62,550 | $57,540 |
| 8 | $55,720 | $69,650 | $64,070 |
| Each additional person | +$5,680 | +$7,100 | +$6,530 |
Computed from those figures
Computed from the two tables above. One of them is a clean multiple of the main table and the other is not, which is the point of the page.
| Table | Higher than the contiguous table by |
|---|---|
| Alaska computed | 25% |
| Hawaii computed | 15.04% |
The Alaska table is a clean multiple: every published figure, including the $7,100 added per additional person against $5,680 in the contiguous states, is exactly 25% above the main table. Hawaii is not. One person is 15.04% higher while the per-person increment, $6,530 against $5,680, is 14.96% higher — because each published figure is rounded, and the rounding drifts from one household size to the next. Both differentials are cost-of-living adjustments carried forward, not different definitions of poverty.
There is no third adjustment. No other state or territory has a table of its own: HHS publishes none for Guam, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands, and which table a programme uses there is that programme’s own rule. Which table applies to you is decided by where you live, not by where the programme is run from.
Where these figures come from
Each row below is one line of our open dataset: the primary document the figure was read out of, the date it was read, and a link to the document itself. Nothing here was copied from a summary of a summary.
The whole dataset
Every figure on this page, and everything around it, as a table you can read and as CSV and JSON you can download. Public domain, no attribution required.
Nearby answers
This is a reference table, not advice and not an eligibility determination. Verify any figure against the linked Federal Register notice before relying on it.
