People Out Here Losing Their Minds Over The Poverty Line Stat

It speaks to so much about the human condition.

To catch you up briefly, as this story is now about three weeks old, a guy named Michael Green wrote a Substack post about the poverty line, which is currently set at $31,000+ in the U.S., but he argued it should be set at $140,000, which sent people spiraling, as that would mean about 60% of the United States is living below the poverty line. Now, let me tell you — if you walk through certain urban hubs, especially in the “AI as air cover for layoffs” era, you might actually believe 6 in 10 people here are poverty-stricken. It’s a confusing time. Early in 2025, I went to Oklahoma City to see a Thunder vs. Knicks game and I had some guy telling me he made $230,000/year and was struggling. It feels ridiculous, but you also need to remember that what constitutes “struggle” varies very deeply by family and individual. Remember that White Lotus Season 3 quote? “At my age, I just can’t live like that.”

On Reddit, people just about shit themselves trying to say how wrong the $140,000 figure was, and yes, I do know single-income families where the one working partner makes $130,000 and they are fine and even periodically take some vacations. Now, allow me to speak in a hushed tone here but oftentimes those families have significant parental…