September 2010
Almost a third of working-age households in San Diego County have incomes below what they need to meet basic living expenses. Half of those struggling households include someone with a full-time job.
Making Ends Meet in San Diego County 2010, a study released today by the Center on Policy Initiatives and United Way of San Diego County, measured local costs of housing, child care, food and other basic expenses to determine a bare-bones budget for various-sized families.
Findings include:
- 229,195 non-retired households in the county — 3 in 10 — earn less than that “self-sufficiency” level, including more than 180,000 households with at least one person working full-time or part-time.
- A single person with no dependents needs a full-time job paying at least $13.13 an hour, or $27,733 a year, to meet basic expenses. A full-time worker making California’s minimum wage of $8 an hour earns only $16,896 in a year, but even that is higher than the official federal poverty level of $11,161.
- For families with two working adults supporting children, costs such as child care and transportation go up, increasing the amount needed to get by.
