Four million Texans are estimated to live at or below the federal poverty line, according to the 2006-10 American Community Survey Estimates, which were released in December by the U.S. Census Bureau. For a family of four, that means the household income is at or below $22,350 a year. Use this interactive map to visualize the demographics of poverty across the state.

The first map shows the total estimated number of people at or below the federal poverty level by county. The second map shows the percentage of the population that is impoverished. Once you've chosen the type of data you want to visualize, use the drop-down menu to visualize the number of people or percentage of people living in poverty for a particular demographic group.

Click on any county to see its specific breakdown below.

The American Community Survey Estimates are considered the most up-to-date socioeconomic statistics. To create the estimates, census workers survey samplings of the population across all regions of the country each month to determine demographic, economic and social characteristics. This data set compiles the information from the monthly surveys taken over a five-year time period, 2006 to 2010, which makes the data more reliable by balancing out month-to-month discrepancies. We've also included the margin of error in the tables below. ACS data is used by a variety of organizations to determine the need for educational, employment and health care assistance programs, including federal, state and local governments. To download ACS data, visit the New American FactFinder.

*Hispanic is an ethnicity in the American Community Survey data, and individuals who are of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin may be counted as any race. "White" excludes individuals who reported Hispanic, Latino or Spanish ethnicity.