28.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kelso, WA (3.38k out of 11.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 13.1%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 25 - 34, followed by Females 45 - 54 and then Males < 5.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.