WASHINGTON — The Census Bureau on Monday released what it says is a more accurate measure of poverty in America. The new measure shows more poverty among the elderly, but less among children and African-Americans.

It also shows a slightly higher poverty rate for the nation last year — 16 percent compared with 15.2 percent under the official measure — but lower rates among groups who benefit from noncash government programs the official count leaves out, including food stamps and the earned-income tax credit.

As a result, there were 3.2 million fewer children found to be living in poverty in 2010, compared with the official measure, a difference of about four percentage points, and 800,000 fewer poor African-Americans, or about two percentage points less.

Two of the biggest antipoverty measures, food stamps and the earned-income tax credit, were expanded substantially under President Obama’s stimulus package, helping lift about 11 million people above the poverty line in 2010, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. As that money winds down, there is a concern that help for the poor could shrink.