The LIHEAP income eligible population was estimated using survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau and two definitions of income eligibility: 1) the federal maximum LIHEAP income eligibility guidelines, and 2) state-specific LIHEAP income eligibility guidelines implemented by grantees.
The federal maximum LIHEAP income eligibility guidelines are the greater of 150 percent of Poverty Guidelines or 60 percent of State Median Income estimates, depending on household size, as published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). State-specific LIHEAP income eligibility guidelines vary and can range from 110 percent of HHS poverty guidelines to the federal maximum LIHEAP income eligibility guidelines. Households determined to be income eligible may not be program eligible because grantees might implement additional program eligibility requirements. The HHS Poverty Guidelines and State Median Income estimates used by the LIHEAP program are published here.
Survey data used to estimate the LIHEAP income eligible population represent the most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau at the time the LIHEAP income eligible population estimates were generated. Specific sources used were those recommended by the U.S. Census Bureau for analysis of state-level subgroup populations:
- FY 2001: Three-year average of the 1999, 2000, and 2001 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC)
- FY 2002: Three-year average of the 2000, 2001, and 2002 CPS ASEC
- FY 2003: Three-year average of the 2001, 2002, and 2003 CPS ASEC
- FY 2004: Three-year average of the 2003, 2004, and 2005 CPS ASEC
- FY 2005: Three-year average of the 2004, 2005, and 2006 CPS ASEC
- FY 2006: Two-year average of the 2005 and 2006 American Community Survey (ACS)
- FY 2007: Three-year average of the 2005, 2006, and 2007 ACS
- FY 2008: Three-year average of the 2005, 2006, and 2007 ACS
- FY 2009: Three-year (2007-2009) ACS
- FY 2010: Three-year (2008-2010) ACS
- FY 2011: Three-year (2009-2011) ACS
- FY 2012: Three-year (2009-2011) ACS
- FY 2013: Three-year (2010-2012) ACS
- FY 2014: Three-year (2011-2013) ACS
- FY 2015: Three-year average of the 2012, 2013, and 2014 ACS*
- FY 2016: Three-year average of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 ACS*
- FY 2017: Five-year (2012-2016) ACS
- FY 2018: Five-year (2013-2017) ACS
- FY 2019: Five-year (2014-2018) ACS
- FY 2020: Five-year (2015-2019) ACS
The U. S. Census Bureau discontinued developing and publishing three-year ACS statistics in 2015. The methodology chosen to develop state-level estimates of the income eligible population for FY 2015 and FY 2016 was to use the three-year average produced from one-year ACS public use microdata sample (PUMS) files, which produced comparable estimates to the discontinued three-year ACS PUMS. Beginning with the FY 2017 estimates, the five-year ACS PUMS file was used to develop state-level estimates of the income eligible population.
Note: LIHEAP income eligible population estimates of households with disabled members for FY 2009 use the FY 2010 source (2008-2010 ACS) because these data were unavailable using the FY 2009 source (2007-2009 ACS) due to a change in definitions by the U.S. Census Bureau.