The figure contrasts with the official poverty line as disclosed in September that said there were 46.2 million poor people in America.
The new method is designed to provide a more complete poverty, taking into account the government benefits they receive poor pay and expenses.
The official benchmark focuses more narrowly on wages in cash.
The data reported on Monday showed that the national poverty rate is 16 percent of the total population, compared to the official rate of 15.1 percent reported in September.
The latest figures also raise the poverty line to an annual income of $24,343 for a family of two adults and two children, compared to $113,220 a year for the official standard.
- Poverty rate rises under alternate Census measure (money.cnn.com)
- Revised govt formula shows new poverty high: 49.1M (sfgate.com)
- Alternative Census Measure Indicates Poverty Higher Than Previously Thought (huffingtonpost.com)
- Poverty ensnares record 49.1M Americans (ctv.ca)
- Number of US “poor” reaches record high under new census formula (guardian.co.uk)
- US poverty at new high: 16 percent, or 49.1M (seattlepi.com)