Cost of Living in Iowa
What is the cost of living in Iowa?
The Federal Poverty Guideline is a measure provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. This measure is widely used among the health and human service sector to determine eligibility for public benefits and other programs and services. While the guidelines account for varying family sizes, they do not account for variance in the cost of living across the country. The Iowa Policy Project (IPP) is a local nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that produces research and analysis to engage Iowans in state policy decisions. IPP has conducted research on the basic needs budget needed by varying household compositions in Iowa to meet their basic needs. The report includes a basic needs budget by county as well as the hourly median wage for the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), the income needed to support family’s basic needs and the gap that exists. Another source that can be utilized to explore how much it takes for families to afford minimum daily necessities is the “Basic Needs Budget Calculator” developed by the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). To access the 2011 Federal Poverty Guidelines, “The Cost of Living in Iowa” reports, and the NCCP’s Basic Needs Budget Calculator, please reference the links below.
2011 Federal Poverty Guidelines
The Cost of Living in Iowa, January 2010
National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) Basic Need Budget Calculator
