The cost of
securing a safe and decent yet modest standard of living is close to twice
the official poverty line for working families in Ohio’s rural areas, and
between two and three times the poverty thresholds in urban areas. Using
2004 data, the Economic Policy Institute’s Sylvia Allegretto calculated the
cost of seven basic budget items in 439 communities for working families
with small children. She found that in Ohio, 22.3 percent of the families
studied did not earn enough to cover the cost of their basic family budget.
Current poverty measures do not begin to address the economic challenges
facing working parents struggling to make ends meet; unexpected events like
illness or job loss can expose such families to serious or critical economic
hardships.
“Making Ends Meet: Basic Family Budgets in Ohio” is a new report by Policy
Matters Ohio which provides the details of Allegretto’s study for Ohio. The
report, and the spreadsheets for basic family budgets, by family size,
configuration, and residence in Ohio in 2004, may be found at
http://www.policymattersohio.org/making_ends_meet_2006.htm.