Oregon Poverty Measure

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The Oregon Poverty Measure sheds new light on the demographics, geographic distribution, and living situations of the poor, and reveal new inequalities and opportunities to reduce poverty in Oregon.

The current source of most poverty data, the Official Poverty Measure (OPM), has many limitations. The OPM uses outdated thresholds and lacks ability to measure the influence of social policies and net taxes, therefore does not accurately represent the state of poverty in Oregon. Modeled after the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), and using a combination of survey data (American Community Survey), state administrative data from the Department of Human Services and Employment Department, and data imputations, the new measure establishes a more valid measure of poverty in the state.

The Oregon Poverty Measure helps policymakers understand the extent of poverty. Measuring the influence of state policies on the poverty rate will help policymakers and others to evaluate their effectiveness. The ORPM sheds new light on the demographics, geographic distribution, and living situations of the poor, and reveal new inequalities and opportunities to reduce poverty in Oregon.

Reports

Five-year findings from the Oregon Poverty Measure Project: 2014-2018

Released October 12, 2020

This new state-specific measure of poverty in Oregon aims to give policymakers a clearer understanding of who is most at risk of falling below the poverty line and highlights the contribution of public safety net programs.

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Report
A longer, traditional report

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Infographic
A brief 3-pager that summarizes the key findings

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Technical Appendix
Detailed information about the process to develop Oregon Poverty Measure (ORPM) estimates

Initial one-year findings

• Initial Findings From the Oregon Poverty Measure Project
• Initial Findings from the Oregon Poverty Measure Project: Technical Appendix

Presentations

Oregon Poverty Measure: New Insights into Poverty and the Safety Net

OSU Postdoctoral Symposium
October 2, 2020

Preliminary Findings from the Oregon Poverty Measure Project

Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Conference presentation
May 2019

The Oregon Poverty Measure: Creation and Preliminary Findings

February 22, 2019

David Rothcard p-3, Ph.D., MSW,

In this seminar David describes a two-year project designed to develop a more valid measure of poverty in Oregon.