| ||||||
Making Ends Meet: How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Family in California? |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
This study estimates the costs of housing, utilities, child care, transportation, food, health coverage, taxes, and other necessities for families with two children and for single adults. The study finds that families need to earn incomes that are much higher than the federal poverty line to afford to make ends meet. Approximately half of California's workers earn less than the hourly wage needed to support a family of four with two working parents at the level estimated by the CBP basic family budget. "This study shows how expensive it is to live in California," said Jean Ross, executive director of the CBP. "Millions of California families struggle to afford even the most basic necessities." A two-parent family with one employed parent needs an annual income of $50,383, equivalent to an hourly wage of $24.22. A single adult needs an annual income of $28,336, equivalent to an hourly wage of $13.62. In contrast, the state's minimum wage provides a full-time worker with an annual income of $15,600, and the federal poverty line for a family of four was $20,444 in 2006. The federal poverty line doesn't take into account the cost of child care for working families or California's high housing costs." The report's estimates are based on modest rents and a basic food plan. The study also assumes families have a car and buy their own health insurance.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
