Oxford economist Olivier Sterck has developed a new poverty measurement called 'average poverty' that shows the US falling behind Western Europe despite higher average incomes. Mississippi's GDP per capita of $53,872 in 2024 was only slightly above Germany's €51,304, highlighting income disparities within the US. Sterck's metric measures the time needed to earn $1 in international dollars, revealing that it takes 63 minutes in the US versus 26 minutes in Germany. This time-based approach shows US average poverty is about twice that of Germany, France, and the UK, despite global poverty declining 55% since 1990.

The US has seen a 47% increase in poverty time since 1990, driven by rising inequality outpacing income growth.