Hello, Thursday.

• Today, we dive into the state's poverty indicators, a marriage fraud ring and Green Line closures just in time for Halloweekend.

🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 61 and a low of 40.

Today’s newsletter is 1,094 words — a 4-minute read.

On paper, the poverty rate looks worse in Ohio, West Virginia and Oklahoma than in Massachusetts.

• But factor in the cost of living, and all three states fared better in recent years, per new U.S. Census Bureau data.

Why it matters: Southern states dominate America's traditional poverty rankings. But that familiar geographic divide starts to disappear when more of a family's financial realities are taken into account.

• Axios analyzed 2023-2025 state poverty estimates from the Census Bureau to see what happens when housing, taxes, medical expenses and government benefits enter the picture.

What we found: Massachusetts' poverty rate jumped from 9.1% to 12.5% under the broader Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), a difference of 3.4 percentage points.

• Five states saw a more drastic jump: New York, Maryland, Florida, Nevada and California.

How it works: The traditional measure compares pretax cash income with a family-size threshold that doesn't change by geography.

• The SPM adds benefits like SNAP and housing assistance, factors in taxes and tax credits, subtracts work and medical expenses, and adjusts for geographic differences in housing costs.

Zoom out: Under the Census' traditional-style official measure, Louisiana had a 19.6% poverty rate and California was at 10.7%. New Hampshire was the lowest at 5.4%.

• The South is home to 10 of the 11 states where the traditional poverty rate significantly outpaced the national average.
• California's poverty rate jumped by nearly two-thirds to 17.8% under the broader SPM. Louisiana remained near the top at 19%.
• Maine posted the nation's lowest SPM rate at 6.4%, followed by Nebraska at 7.5% and Minnesota at 7.9%.

The official U.S. poverty rate fell for a third straight year to 10.2%, while child poverty reached a record-low 13.4%.

• Yet the SPM remained statistically unchanged at 13.1% — nearly three percentage points above the official rate.
• Real median household income hit a record $87,460 in 2025.

Yes, but: The SPM doesn't replace the official poverty rate.

• Census designed it as another lens — one that captures resources and unavoidable expenses the traditional measure misses.

The bottom line: Income alone doesn't tell you whether a family can make ends meet.

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Federal authorities accused six Massachusetts residents of orchestrating a decade-long marriage fraud ring, marrying themselves off to immigrants repeatedly to help them obtain green card status.

The big picture: The charges put a spotlight on Massachusetts' status as a welcoming state for immigrants regardless of legal status, weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

• The lead defendant, Jennifer Gonzalez of Fall River, allegedly exploited the state's reputation, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said.
• Gonzalez allegedly told a witness, whom she believed to be an undocumented immigrant, "Massachusetts is the best place for you to be."

Driving the news: Federal agents arrested five of the six suspects, all U.S. citizens, on Wednesday: Erica Daniels, Cherice Alejandro, Amara Pugh, Jessica Tavares and Gonzalez, per court documents.

• A sixth suspect, Jaylen Hill, had already been arrested on unrelated charges, Foley said.
• The group of six allegedly got married and split up with their spouses after helping them get immigration benefits, repeating the cycle over the course of the decade.

1 stunning stat: The ring pocketed at least $6 million over the past decade, conducting 18-20 marriages a year until 2024, Foley said.

• Gonzalez used the money to buy property in her native Dominican Republic, Foley said.

Gonzalez and three others — Alejandro, Daniels and Tavares — also allegedly applied for SNAP benefits without disclosing their spouses or the profits from the "sham" marriage business, Foley said.

• Gonzalez received SNAP between 2019 and 2026, per court documents.

What they're saying: Foley said that Gonzalez "got rich off selling the American dream, all the while investing her money in another country."

• "My hope is that today the charged defendants and others like them realize that the American dream is not for sale," she added.

Go deeper

🚌 The Boston City Council agreed to subpoena MBTA general manager Phil Eng after he didn't go to a council hearing about the controversial proposal to install center-running bus lanes on Blue Hill Avenue. (Universal Hub)

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said an off-duty Boston police officer's fatal shooting of a knife-wielding man inside a Chick-fil-A last year was justified. (CBS Boston)

⛽️ Democratic House leaders pulled Gov. Maura Healey's gas tax holiday from this year's closeout spending bill, arguing the costs outweighed the savings drivers would see. (Axios)

• Healey's proposed two-month suspension of the tax became a cornerstone of her reelection pitch.

📉 Encore Boston Harbor's revenue took a dive last month after more than 1,300 workers went on strike. (BBJ)

• The Everett casino reported $46.1 million in revenue for September, $13 million less than this time last year.

The MBTA plans to shut down several Green Line branches next Saturday and Sunday to work on signal upgrades underground.

Why it matters: Public transit could become a nightmare for Boston-area college students and anyone else celebrating "Halloweekend."

Driving the boos: The Green Line won't be running trains from North Station and several points on the other side of the city: Babcock St. (B), Kenmore (C and D) and Heath Street (E).

• The closures run through the heart of several college campuses: Berklee College of Music, Boston University, Boston College, Emmanuel College, MassArt, Simmons University and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Be smart: The T recommends using buses and Orange Line trains between those stops and Copley Square in the Back Bay.

• Expect the changes to add another 25 minutes to your commute.

Pro tip: The T will provide shuttle buses (find your stop here), and the 39 (E) and 57 (B) buses will be fare-free.

• The Commuter Rail's Framingham/Worcester Line is free between Lansdowne and South Station.

What's next: The Green Line will resume service the next week, but shut down again Nov. 7 - Nov. 15 to finish the upgrades.

Tell a Green Line rider

The Harvard Book Store in downtown Boston is coming together.

• The team is expecting to open sometime this fall, but there's no exact date yet, says Jeff Mayersohn, the owner.

Deehan is counting down the days 'til scarf weather.

Steph would have enjoyed Amtrak's night train a lot more had they remembered to bring a sleep aid.

This newsletter was edited by Crystal Hill.