WASHINGTON — The number of poor people in the United States held steady at nearly 50 million last year, but government programs appear to have lessened the impact, especially on children and the elderly, federal data released this week showed.

The Census Bureau, using an alternative measure to the government’s main poverty gauge, said the figure was virtually unchanged from a year earlier with the overall poverty rate stuck at 16 percent.

But without tax credits, Social Security payments and other benefits, it would have been higher for the very poor, the young and the old, the data showed.

The report supplements the nation’s official poverty data released in September, also by the Census Bureau, that found more than 47 million people living in poverty in 2012, or 15 percent – about the same as in 2011.

The official gauge only uses income to measure poverty, while the alternative barometer also factors in various expenses and regional differences in the cost of living as well as the support the poor might get from government programs.

Some experts say the alternative provides a clearer picture of the number of people struggling in America.

Census’ findings highlight continued pressures as the country regains its footing after the 2007-2009 recession. It also reflects the debate over what it means to be poor in one of the world’s richest economies as lawmakers weigh the costs of government programs aimed at low-income Americans.