Self-Sufficient Wage
All families need enough income to cover their basic needs such as food, housing, transportation, and childcare. The amount of income required to provide these basic needs depends on family size, ages of children, the number of working adults, and geographic area in which the family resides. The following graph illustrates the disparity between the hourly median wage in the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area and the hourly wages needed for four different family types to meet their family’s basic needs.
The hourly median wage in the Cedar Rapids MSA is $14.40. The following reflects the median income of households in the Cedar Rapids MSA by Family Type, highlighting the financial challenges for single female headed households to meet their family’s basic needs.
Median Income of Households in the Cedar Rapids MSA* by Family Type
| Married-couple families |
$68,115 |
($32.75 per hour) |
| Female Householder, no husband present |
$27,820 |
($13.38 per hour) |
| Male householder, no wife present |
$38,819 |
($18.66 per hour) |
*MSA = Metropolitan Statistical Area
Sources:
Elaine Ditsler & Beth Pearson. (January 2008.) The Cost of Living in Iowa.
The Iowa Policy Project. http://www.iowapolicyproject.org/2008docs/080118-COL.pdf
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