More than 49 million Americans, or 16 percent of the population, live in poverty, based on an alternative measure released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, CNNMoney.com reported. The official rate, released in September, showed 46.6 million, or 15.2 percent, living in poverty. The Census Bureau’s first supplemental poverty measure includes various government benefits and expenses not captured by the official poverty rate, which will continue to be used to determine eligibility for public assistance and federal funding distribution. The alternative calculation also takes into account geographical  differences in housing costs.